DragonShadows Season 1
by DragonShadow
Summary: DragonShadow's first Powerpuff Girls season
1. 101- Chemical Xplosion

Chemical Xplosion  
  
  
  
The cool night air wafted through the quiet city of Townsville as its citizens all settled into their restful slumber, preparing themselves for the next day, as they did each night. The moon shone brightly, full as it illuminated every aspect of the city, including one particular house.  
  
The Utonium's house was as quiet as all the rest on the outside, three small girls asleep in their bed on the second floor, the light shining through the window making them almost seem to glow serenely. Down underneath the house however their father/creator Professor Utonium struggled through the night on his latest project. The potions and concoctions bubbled almost menacingly as he worked on his calculations, being extremely careful not to mess anything up.  
  
He wiped the perspiration off his forehead as he carefully measured and mixed the concoctions, making sure he had everything figured out, could make no mistake. He knew that if he did the resulting explosion would likely wipe out the entire building.  
  
He glanced away in panic as he saw one beaker drop off of the counter, falling toward the ground. Quickly he lunged for it and caught it, but the contents of the one he held mixed with the contents of the other one. He had only a few moments to realize his mistake before...  
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A red claw snapped shut just as an explosion rocked the entire city, shaking it down to its foundations. A slender, almost feminine figure watched the ensuing chaos even as the building crumbled, trapping all of it occupants in the blast and the rubble. It's yellow eyes pulsed brightly with pleasure even as several people ran to the building, cops and an ambulance being dispatched immediately.  
  
Its sweet, dulcet voice wafted through the air in its own small home. "There you go little girls, my hand is dealt, the cards shown." Its voice suddenly grew gruffer, almost hateful as it watched the cops dig out the girls themselves. "Let's see what cards you have left!" Its voice grew dulcet again. "Without your professor..." Its laughter rang out through the entire place, Hell itself and stretching infinitely beyond. Its voice was a complete mix of sweet and hateful, a dark duet coming from one thing... one man... Him.  
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The light seemed to pierce her eyes brightly as she cracked them open. Her head pounded like she was siting right next to a drum set someone was playing on. The light didn't help her head any, so she closed her eyes again, instead listening for any sounds to tell her what was going on.  
  
"Blossom?" The voice sounded familiar to her. Wearily she cracked one eye open, wincing as the light flooded into it, almost overwhelming her. Finally she managed to get it open long enough for it to adjust, finally seeing the figure standing above her.  
  
"Miss Kean?" She asked in surprise. "What's going on... Isn't it Saturday?"  
  
"Yes it is..." She said, smiling down at her reassuringly, but for some reason Blossom wasn't too reassured by it. "I just wanted to come see how you were doing. You had a big accident."  
  
"Accident?" Blossom asked worriedly, sitting up in her bed immediately. "What happened? Are Buttercup, Bubbles and the Professor alright?"  
  
"Your sisters are fine..." The teacher assured her quickly, putting her hands on her shoulders to push Blossom back on the bed. The Powerpuff Girl obliged, knowing full well there was no way she could be pushed down against her will.  
  
"And the Professor?" Blossom questioned.  
  
"Well..." The teacher began just before a doctor walked in.  
  
"Ah, she's awake. That's a good sign. You're lucky you survived." He told Blossom. "If it weren't for your powers you wouldn't have."  
  
"Then what about the Professor!?" Blossom demanded, sitting up again and this time refusing to be pushed back down until she had her answer.  
  
"No point in putting it off... Your professor's dead." The doctor told her softly.  
  
"Wh... what? Dead? What do you mean?" Blossom asked almost frantically. "What do you mean DEAD!?" She floated up off the bed subconsciously, glaring at the doctor intently.  
  
"Blossom calm down!" Miss Kean said quickly, grabbing her leg and trying to pull her back down, with no effect.  
  
"Tell me what you mean by DEAD!" Blossom demanded desperately, wanting him to tell her it merely meant he'd been hurt, and needed to be in the hospital or something... not...  
  
"Dead means... He's dead... the funeral is in a week... I'm sorry." He told her softly, obviously far too used to delivering this kind of information.  
  
"No... but... it can't..." Blossom said softly in shock, Miss Kean now managing to pull her down from the air as she lost her concentration. "The Professor..."  
  
"I know sweetheart." The teacher told her comfortingly as she pulled the little girl into a comforting hug that might as well have been a bear trap to Blossom for all the comfort it gave. Blossom just sat there numbly in the teachers embrace, not really sure what to do or think or how to act. She reached up one hand as she felt several tears slide out of her eyes, rolling down her cheeks, leaving small streaks of wetness.  
  
"Wh... What... How..." Was all she could sputter, no matter how much she tried. It didn't all connect in her mind, how could this have happened in their own home? The professor was way too careful to just make a mistake in his lab... but how could anyone have done anything? How? Who? Why?  
  
"Nobody knows... It looks like it was just an accident... Don't worry Blossom... We'll help you girls through all of this... The best we all can." Miss Kean replied as comfortingly as she could. "Now please lay down, you need your rest, that was quite a blast." She pushed Blossom down to the bed again, this time getting no resistance.  
  
"Wh... Where are Bubbles and Buttercup?" Blossom finally had the sense of mind to ask.  
  
"They're in the hospital too." The teacher replied. "In different rooms, don't worry, they're both fine."  
  
"Okay..." Blossom nodded, wiping her eyes forcefully as she settled down into the bed again, feeling the wet streaks still stinging her face. She had to see the others... make sure they really were alright.  
  
"Come on." The doctor told Miss Kean. "She could use her rest."  
  
"Oh, alright." She replied as she stood up, looking down at Blossom one more time. "It'll be okay." She assured before turning to leave the room, closing the door behind both her and the doctor.  
  
The second they shut the door Blossom floated up from the bed toward the window, unhitching the lock and opening it to float outside. It was already a warm afternoon, she must have been out a good while. She floated over to the next window, looking inside. She could see Bubbles lying on the bed, but when she tried to open the window it was locked from the inside. She could break it open of course, but decided stealth was the better part of valor for now.  
  
She floated back into her room, shutting and locking the door behind her before floating over to the door, cracking it open. She peeked into the hallway, spotting nobody there at the moment. In a crimson flash she bolted out the door, making it into Bubbles' room in under a second and closing the door behind her.  
  
"Bubbles!" She exclaimed as she floated over to the bed, shaking her blond sisters' shoulder to try and wake her up. "Bubbles wake up!"  
  
"Huh?" Her sister stirred lightly, opening one eye halfway before clenching it shut again in pain from the light. "What's going on..." She asked confusedly, lifting her head somewhat.  
  
"Bubbles... S... something happened..." Blossom told her sister, suddenly finding it much more difficult to speak now that she had the chance.  
  
"What is it?" Bubbles questioned, looking around the room with eyes still squinted from the light. "What's going on? Where are we?"  
  
"The hospital... There was an accident... and..." She tried to find the words, but they eluded her mind even as she struggled to speak them. "And..." She felt her voice crack hugely as a lump formed in her throat even as she sat there floating a foot above Bubbles bed.  
  
Bubbles eyes teared up just watching Blossom hanging there, unable to say anything. "What's going on?" She asked with a shaky voice.  
  
"Bubbles the professor's dead!" Blossom exclaimed loudly, flinging herself down to embrace her sister tightly, crying into her shoulder. Bubbles cried with her, though whether she actually understood Blossom's garbled words or if she was just sad because her sister was was still up for debate.  
  
For a while they just sat on the bed, holding each other comfortingly. Finally Bubbles broke the silence. "Wh... What do we do Blossom?" She asked, her voice shaking violently.  
  
"I don't know..." She replied, her eyes almost completely closed as she sniffled again. "I can't think straight... My head hurts..." She said softly, putting one hand up to her head.  
  
"Mine too..." Bubbles agreed. "Where's Buttercup?"  
  
"She's probably still out... They said it was a big blast that..." She was interrupted when they both heard a tremendous impact fill the air, as if something were punching through the brick wall of the hospital. "Uh oh..." They both streaked over to the window, looking out to see a crowd of people staring up at the hospital curiously.  
  
Blossom opened the window and the two girls floated out, turning to look at the wall. There was a hole punched through the side of the building from the room right beside Bubbles'. The sisters slowly turned to look at each other worriedly.  
  
"This isn't good." Blossom said.  
  
"We don't even know who did it." Bubbles agreed. "She could hurt somebody innocent."  
  
"Come on, we should comb the city and look for her. See if we can find her before somebody gets hurt, either her or someone else!" With that the two sisters streaked off into the air over the city, searching almost desperately for their wayward sister.  
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Buttercup streaked through the air faster than she ever had before, pushing herself to exceed her own limits in every way she could. A trail of tears seemed to be the only thing that marked her passage through the city, the ball of her emotions the only thing that seemed real to her right now. Who could have caused all of this? There was no way it had been an accident; she couldn't believe that.  
  
She couldn't help a small howl that escaped her throat, sounding almost like an animal howling in pain. Her tears nearly blinded her even as she flew, grazing a building on one side. Almost instinctively she whirled on it, her eyes sending out a wave of crimson energy.  
  
The blast punched through the wall easily, tearing a trail across it as she moved her head until finally the beam subsided. She let out a howl of pure rage as she thrust herself into the building through the hole she'd made, beginning to go on a rampage. She lashed out at anything she saw, whether it moved or not. People, tables, desks, and chairs went flying in the whirlwind of destruction.  
  
Finally after her whirlwind of motion finally subsided Buttercup collapsed to the ground in the center of the building, sobbing to herself with more pain than she'd ever suffered in all her time as a superhero. She couldn't stop the tears and the choking sobs that dominated her for what seemed like forever, just sitting there with the astonished people who worked in the building eyeing her fearfully.  
  
She sat for a long time, unmoving except for her soft breath and another occasional sob. Something seemed to be happening inside of her, her pain was twisting, turning around in her mind. It made sense though... everything made sense. She'd busted her back for everybody several times over, saved millions of people routinely, but when she needed help... When the professor had needed saving had anybody been there? No. Had anyone even tried to talk to her? No, she had to overhear Bubbles and Blossom.  
  
Her rage built up inside of her even as she stumbled to her feet, her mind racing. She knew who was responsible; she knew who she would have to get revenge on. They say sitting and watching idly while good people suffer is as wrong as making people suffer, well Townsville itself would pay for watching this happen. For standing by while the professor died for no reason! Nobody would escape... everybody would pay!  
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The city whizzed by beneath Bubbles as her and Blossom streaked through the sky, looking out for any sign of Buttercup. She couldn't quite get exactly what was going on here, it all just crammed into her brain without making any real sense, and it wasn't registering as real. All she really knew was that the professor was 'gone' and Buttercup had flown away in a big hurry.  
  
"Look Bubbles!" Blossom yelled quickly as they both saw Buttercups telltale green trail leave a completely demolished building. "Did SHE do that?" She asked in dismay.  
  
"I don't know, we have to catch up to her!" Bubbles said before they both streaked ahead again. The three girls streaked through the city, Bubbles and Blossom struggling to catch up with Buttercup, who seemed to be going even faster than she ever had before.  
  
"Buttercup! Slow down!" Blossom shouted above the wind of their flight, but it was obvious either Buttercup couldn't hear them, or ignored them completely. They struggled to speed up and catch her, but she still managed to outdistance them seemingly without too much difficulty.  
  
"Buttercup!" Bubbles shrieked in her high pitched voice just before Buttercup rounded a bend, going out of site. The other two rounded and stopped, looking around. "Where did she go?" Bubbles asked.  
  
"I don't know..." Blossom said confusedly as she looked around, looking up and down too but seeing nothing there. "She couldn't have just vanished..."  
  
"Couldn't she?" A soft, dulcet voice said behind them. They both whirled quickly, seeing a red figure standing on the wall, as if standing at a perfect 90-degree angle were the most natural thing in the world. "Perhaps she can, and just you can't?" The figure chucked darkly, its voice growing darker.  
  
"Him!" Blossom exclaimed, putting her fists out in front of her. Bubbles quickly followed suit, though she was really in no mood for a fight right now. "What are you doing here!?"  
  
"Just seeing what's what." Him said, smirking ironically to himself and walking along the wall toward them.  
  
"Are you responsible for what happened last night!?" Blossom demanded angrily, her fists clenching into two tight little balls.  
  
"Me why of course not. Don't you watch the news? It was an aaaaaccident." He grinned, drawing out the last word five times longer than normal.  
  
Blossom growled deep in her throat with anger, surprising Bubbles, who'd never seen her sister like this before. "You've gone too far this time Him! RAAAAAAGH!" She lunged forward angrily, flying straight at Him in a crimson fury.  
  
"Blossom!" Bubbles exclaimed in surprise when a green streak intercepted the red, sending them both plunging down to the ground with a tremendous impact. After a moment the green ball of light flew from the four-foot-in-diameter impact crater to land beside it. "Buttercup?"  
  
The brunette turned to look up at her sister, snarling viciously. There was no recognition in her eyes; it was like she just saw her own sister as another person trying to get in her way.  
  
"Buttercup, what's going on?" Bubbles asked shakily, floating backward slowly as her sister floated up off the ground after her.  
  
"What do you THINK!? None of you did anything! We save the day thousands of times and who saves us? NOBODY!" Buttercup shrieked as she floated up after her sister, glaring at her with contempt and a tinge of madness.  
  
Him just watched this exchange, grinning triumphantly to himself. His sweet, dulcet voice rang through the air. "What will you do Bubbles?" his voice abruptly gained a harder edge, more hateful than anything. "Fight your sister?"  
  
"I... I..." Bubbles stuttered as she floated away from Buttercup slowly, her sister pacing her steadily. "I don't want to!" She yelled.  
  
"Ungrateful, cheap, lying, traitors!" Buttercup screamed furiously at the top of her lungs as she lunged at Bubbles. Bubbles let a small exclamation of surprise escape from her mouth before turning and streaking away from her sister, who was right behind her.  
  
"Stop Buttercup!" Bubbles pleaded as she struggled to keep away from her, but she finally grabbed Bubbles' leg, whirling her to slams her into the wall of a building, plunging a crater into it.  
  
Buttercup let loose another scream of rage as she slammed into Bubbles, plunging them both through the wall of the building. Buttercup landing on her feet on the floor amid the rubble while Bubbles flew through the room, landing on the floor on her back painfully.  
  
"Uhn... Buttercup..." Bubbles complained, her voice trembling softly, both from the pain of the assault and her fear of this actually happening. "Stop..."  
  
"Stop!? Did you stop them from killing the professor after we stopped EVERYTHING from destroying this town!?" Buttercup howled in a rage. "DID YOU!?"  
  
"Buttercup please..." Bubbles begged, pushing herself up to her feet again. Buttercup lunged again, tackling her to the floor before she could completely regain her bearings.  
  
"WHY didn't you DO anything to HELP us!?" Buttercup howled as she slammed her fists into Bubbles' head repeatedly, not giving an inch as her sister squirmed to get free from underneath her.  
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Blossom groaned painfully as she raised her head up from the hard pavement, looking around for any sign of the others. She didn't see Bubbles or Buttercup anywhere, but she could see Him still standing on the wall, watching something going on in the hole of one building.  
  
She growled under her breath and hefted herself off of the street, throwing herself at Him. "Enooouuuugh!" She slammed into him as hard as she could, carrying him straight through the buildings wall and each story.  
  
Him's dark, threatening voice rang in her ears. "Alone little girl, don't make me laugh!" He said as he raised his claws, jamming one of them into Blossoms arm.  
  
"AAGH!" She exclaimed in pain as Him jerked his arm backward, nearly tearing her arm off as he flung her into the far wall of the building. She plunged through it and plummeted down through the air, slamming hard into the pavement again, waves of pain surging from her back throughout her whole body.  
  
She managed to open one eye and watch as Him emerged from the hole, calmly walking down the side of the building toward her. She struggled to haul herself out of the crater as he reached the ground, facing her steadily.  
  
"You've gone... too far... this time..." She panted out, holding her stomach painfully as she hovered in the air again, ready to attack.  
  
Him just laughed, his sweet, flutelike tone mingling with the dark sharpness of his other half. "Without your sisters, you're no match for me." He said in a mix of his two personas.  
  
"Shut up!" Blossom screamed as she lunged again, swinging one fist as hard as she possibly could. The blow connected, sending her target flying back to land in the street, groaning in pain. She stared in shock when she saw the professor lying in the street weakly.  
  
"Professor!" She exclaimed worriedly as she flew over as fast as she could. "What's going on... how..." She said, confused out of her mind. She put one hand to his head carefully, wanting to see if he was alright.  
  
Without warning one crimson claw gripped her around the waist from behind, tightening like a clamp around her. She screeched in pain as it tightened, lifting her off the ground.  
  
The gentle voice floated up to her from behind. "One little Powerpuff..." He finished in his rasping, dark tone. "Finally dead at my feet!" His laughter, full of every emotion conceivable echoed through the surprisingly empty streets. Everybody'd been scared off, nobody came to help the PowerPuff Girl gravely in need of it...  
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Everything seemed to spin around her wildly as Buttercup just kept slugging away at the form she had pinned underneath her. She couldn't even see straight, couldn't think perfectly, all she knew was this was one of those that had cost them the professor, they'd sat by and watched while he'd been killed after the girls had saved them countless times. It wasn't fair... It wasn't right!  
  
She just kept pounding as hard as she could, oblivious to everything until she heard a high pitched squeal coming from whatever was directly under her. What was she doing... She was just beating on this person... She was a Power Puff Girl; she couldn't do this!  
  
Finally she blinks her eyes rapidly to try to clear her head, looking down at the figure beneath her, seeing it clearly for the first time. "Oh my God... Bubbles!" She exclaimed worriedly. Bubbles' face was horribly bruised and battered, her eyes almost sealed shut, there were numerous cuts along her face. She was almost unconscious, but she was stirring lightly, her squealing was what'd woken up Buttercup.  
  
"Bubbles!" She grabbed her sisters shoulder to shake her frantically, getting a small moan in response. "Bubbles wake up!"  
  
"What..." Bubbles finally managed to open one eye halfway, flinching a bit when she saw Buttercup above her. "No..."  
  
"No it's okay Bubbles..." Buttercup said softly, grabbing her sister and hugging her. "It's okay... I'm sorry..." She told her comfortingly. She'd never done anything like this before, she'd never hurt one of her sisters, nor did she ever want to. What had happened? She remembered hearing the news through the wall... Leaving the hospital, then the building... Then she'd just... gotten mad...  
  
"Buttercup... you're alright?" Bubbles asked somewhat happily, as happy as she could sound in her current state.  
  
"Yeah... I'm sorry..." Buttercup replied, looking down at the floor where the dust and debris from the rubble had turned the carpet gray. "I don't know what... Happened to me..." She said regretfully.  
  
"It's okay..." Bubbles said softly, hugging Buttercup back. "But where's Blossom? She was still out there with Him and she was hurt!" She exclaimed.  
  
"What? Him has Blossom!?" Buttercup exclaimed worriedly. Now she was REALLY sorry she'd zonked out when she did. "Where are they!?"  
  
"I don't know." Bubbles said. "You knocked out Blossom then attacked me..."  
  
"No... You stay here Bubbles!" Buttercup said, laying her down on the floor again as gently as she could. "I'm gonna go find Blossom!" With that she turned to streak out of the building.  
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"AAAAAAAARGH!" Blossom screamed with pain as both of Him's claws crushed her body. She struggled to move them, but she was still weak from the explosion and Buttercup's attack just a while ago.  
  
Him's dark voice was by now unchanged by his normal side switching, his voice betrayed all of it at once. "With you gone, and the others weakening each other, I'll finally be rid of you Power Puffs!" He grinned happily as he drew another scream of pain from Blossom.  
  
"Not so fast Him!" Buttercup's voice echoed through the streets as she landed just in front of him, glaring at him hatefully. "You've done some bad stuff before but this is WAY too much!"  
  
"Buttercup..." Blossom exclaimed, though she was in too much pain to make too big a deal of it.  
  
"You're still a lone girl." Him said, throwing Blossom to the side up against the wall of a building. "A lone puff is no good."  
  
"Oh yeah? Well a PowerPuff is never alone!" She stopped to look around a second, then remembered that Blossom was writing in pain by the wall and Bubbles was still in the other building, nearly unconscious. "Well it doesn't matter, because I'm good and you're evil so NYA!" She stuck her tongue out at him.  
  
His sweet voice says mockingly. "Come then lone puff." His dark voice shouts. "Fight me!"  
  
"Haaaa!" Buttercup gave a small war-cry as she lunged at Him, swinging her fist mightily. Him dodged nimbly to the side, snapping one claw to grab her arm and throw her up against the same wall as Blossom. "Hrgh!"  
  
"Gotta... Stay away from him..." Blossom said softly.  
  
"Stay away from him... Piece of cake!" Buttercup replied before floating up into the air again. "Take this!" She felt the power building behind her eyes just before the crimson beam shot forward towards him.  
  
Him raised one claw up, reversing the beam and making it strike Buttercup instead, again flinging her to the wall beside Blossom.  
  
"Ow! Man... Can't beat him alone!" She complained, rubbing the back of her neck painfully.  
  
"Then don't..." Blossom said, trying to push herself up. "I'll help..."  
  
"You're too weak..." Buttercup told her. "Lay down."  
  
"I can't lay down now... We have to finish Him off right?" Blossom asked, looking at her sister plainly. "Right?"  
  
"Right..." Buttercup said softly, before holding out one hand. "Right! Once and for all!" Blossom took it and let her sister help her stand upright once again. They could both feel something flowing between them even as they floated back up to face Him.  
  
"It's over!" Blossom said. "We've had enough of you! No jail this time, this time it's all for good!" She announced as her and Buttercup got ready.  
  
"So, the girls grow up and learn... REVENGE." Him said, almost pleased.  
  
"No!" Buttercup Shouted, moving in front of Blossom. "I wanted revenge, but I only wound up hurting those that had nothing to do with it! This is about justice, not revenge!" She stated.  
  
"Yeah! And we're kicking your butt out of here!" Blossom added. "Because you're the exact OPPOSITE of justice!"  
  
"Come on then... POWERPUFF GIRLS!" Him said mockingly.  
  
"Let's do it!" Blossom shouted as her and Buttercup took off in opposite directions, he tried to snap at them, but they whirled quickly, taking him down with a quick series of blows.  
  
When he was down Buttercup landed in front of him, glaring at him hatefully. "You can attack Townsville, you can destroy buildings, and you can steal, but you can NOT mess with the POWERPUFF GIRLS FAMILY!" She shrieked as she brought her fist back. She thrust it forward, slamming it into Him's face and carrying it on through the brick wall right behind him, punching a hole right through it.  
  
She drew her fist back out again as Blossom landed behind her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We're done here..." She said. "Come on... We should go find Bubbles."  
  
"Bubbles! I forgot!" Buttercup exclaimed, taking off into the sky with Blossom right behind her.  
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Bubbles could feel the cool wind of a fan blowing across her heated skin, rife with bruises and cuts all over. She could have fought back against Buttercup, probably fought her to a draw, but she couldn't bring herself to fight against her sister like that. So instead here she lay, back in the hospital for at least a day while her wounds from Buttercups beating healed.  
  
She opened her one semi-decent eye to see her sisters standing above her worriedly. "Hi." She said, her voice a little more windy than normal, but it would be as good as new in no time.  
  
"Hey Bubbles." Blossom said, smiling down at her ailing sister.  
  
"Hey..." Buttercup practically whispered, looking down at the floor shamefully. "I shouldn't have run off like that... If I hadn't come to my senses I might have..." She cut herself off, not wanting to think about that particular might-have-been.  
  
"Well everything alright." Bubbles said, smiling slightly, even though it pushed some of her bruises together, hurting a bit. "You saved the day anyway."  
  
"Hyeah I guess..." Buttercup said softly. "If only I could have saved it last night though..."  
  
"We'll all have to deal with that one Buttercup." Blossom said, putting one hand on Buttercups shoulder. "You're not alone with it."  
  
"I think we'll all be okay." Bubbles said, looking up at the light fixture hanging right above the bed. "After all... The professor made us. We're part of him."  
  
"Man Bubbles, where did you hear that one?" Blossom asked her blond sister in amazement.  
  
"I don't remember..." Bubbles said, putting one hand to her chin thoughtfully.  
  
"I didn't hit you THAT hard." Buttercup said jokingly, prompting chuckles from the other two. Maybe things would be hard without the professor, and maybe Buttercup had made some bad choices, but when all was said and done, things will always turn out for the better for The PowerPuff Girls.  
  
THE END 


	2. 102- A Big Question

102- A Big Question  
  
  
  
Buttercup sat on the edge of the roof of the Powerpuff Girls new house; the one they shared with Miss Bellum after theirs had been destroyed... Two weeks had passed and they were slowly returning to their normal selves, though they would never be quite the same again, she knew. They all missed the professor deeply, and everyone else tried to help them deal with it, but something just felt wrong to Buttercup now. She didn't know what it was or even what to do... something was just off kilter.  
  
"This is where you've been hiding." Buttercup turned her head slightly to watch her sister Blossom floating above the shingled roof toward her, watching her with those shining crimson eyes. She was most often regarded the leader of the three girls, though now Buttercup couldn't imagine why, everything she'd known before seemed iffy now...  
  
"Yeah." Buttercup replied, turning to look back across the streets of Townsville again as the sun lowered itself behind the horizon, giving one last gasp of rainbow light before it was swallowed up by the ensuing night. "Does anything seem wrong to you now?" She asked her red-haired sister.  
  
"Wrong?" Blossom asked, sitting on the edge of the roof beside Buttercup. "Besides the obvious? Not really... It's just been hard for all of us, we'll get by though." She said optimistically. Buttercup wished fervently that she could be so happy about all of this.  
  
"Well I don't know... something just feels weird now..." Buttercup said glumly, knowing there was no way she could tell her sister exactly what she felt. She couldn't even describe it to herself. It was just like something was... missing from her, something she just couldn't plug no matter what she tried.  
  
"Well we'll all get used to it." Blossom said, placing one hand on her sisters' shoulder comfortingly. "It'll be okay, you'll see. We're still a family and have each other after all." She added.  
  
"Hyeah... we do..." Buttercup said softly before she pushed herself off the roof, floating off down the street slowly.  
  
"Where you going?" Blossom called after her. "It's nearly bed time!"  
  
"I'll be back before then!" Buttercup called over her shoulder, her sensitive ears picking up Blossoms small sigh of resignation as she rounded a corner down the block. She didn't really feel like resting right now, she was too restless, though what she was restless for she couldn't guess for the life of her. Maybe she could head down to the gym or something? Work off some of this extra aggression. After the rest of the villains had heard about what she'd done to Him, they'd all been keeping low profiles. They knew better than to mess with her right now, which was good in a way, but it left her building up energy.  
  
She let out a soft sigh as she passed by Pokey Oaks kindergarten, the lights off in the entire building. Even this place seemed weird to her right now; of course she'd never really come here at night, not when she wasn't otherwise occupied anyway. She floated into the playground, looking around at all of the playthings scattered around. The tetherball swung itself lightly in the cool evening breeze.  
  
She floated over to it slowly and brought her hand back as far as it could go. She gave the ball a hardy slap, sending it flying around the pole like a blur, wrapping itself up tightly in only a matter of moments. Without warning the ball flew from the rope from the force of her slap, flying across the playground to slam into one boys head, sending him to the ground with a yelp of surprise.  
  
"AGH! Sorry!" Buttercup exclaimed as she streaked over to the boy, picking up the ball of the ground beside him. "I didn't think it would go anywhere... What are you doing out here anyway?" She asked curiously. "It's really late."  
  
"I was just looking for night-crawlers." The boy replied as he pushed himself up to his feet, wobbling a bit from the impact before Buttercup put out a hand to steady him. "Whoa... thanks... That's a pretty big hit you've got there." He commented.  
  
"Hyeah the biggest." Buttercup said as she smiled proudly. "Really though, sorry about the tetherball. I didn't think it'd fly away like that." She said.  
  
"Ah it's okay..." the boys said as he finally righted himself, looking at her clearly. "Hey, you're Buttercup!"  
  
She couldn't help but chuckle at him. "Yeah I am." She replied.  
  
"Wow, one of the Powrpuff Girls!" The boy exclaimed.  
  
"What, you new here or something?" Buttercup asked. "I thought everyone in class knew us?"  
  
"Well yeah actually I moved here yesterday." The boy replied. "I've always wondered a few things about you girls." He told her.  
  
"Well ask away, I have nothing better to do." Buttercup replied, kind of liking the attention.  
  
"Well do you have souls? You know, being created and all instead of born." He asked her simply.  
  
"Souls? What's that?" Buttercup asked. They'd never talked about anything like that before.  
  
"That's what you are my mom says. It makes you you, but since you were made in a lab instead of born I wasn't too sure if you had one." He said, studying her. "Well, do you?"  
  
"I..." Buttercup stuttered a bit, thinking about this. Didn't have a soul? If souls made people people, then what was someone without one?" Wh... Well I think we have them..." She replied nervously.  
  
"Well like the Rowdyruff Boys." The boy said. "You disgusted them and they just poofed away into nothing, they weren't real and they were made the same way as you... so does that mean you're not real?" He asked.  
  
"I... I don't know..." Buttercup said, her face paling hugely. What if it was true and that was why she'd been feeling so strange? She wasn't even a real little girl... what was she then? "Uh... Um..." She sputtered at the boy, gulping and trying to re-organize herself. "How would you know... if you had a soul..." She asked.  
  
The boy just shrugged back. "I don't know, this is all just what my mom told me..." He replied.  
  
"Oh... Well... Goodnight!" Buttercup said as she flew off into the darkness in a green streak of light. There had to be a way to find out, this was important. If she wasn't a real person then what was she? She didn't even want to think about that...  
  
The Rowdyruff Boys, they HAD indeed poofed out of existence when they'd been disgusted... What did that mean? They weren't real? They had to have been though, they just had to... If they weren't then she wasn't real either... Maybe she'd know if she saw them again. They were gone though... so she'd just have to re-create them with different ingredients so they weren't evil this time... With what though?  
  
She looked down thoughtfully and noticed she still had the rogue tetherball clutched in her hands, she'd forgotten to hang it up again. Well that should work, boys liked playing ball and stuff... Now what else? Maybe a baseball cap and a video game. She hated to sacrifice one of theirs, but it was worth it under the circumstances.  
  
She flew back to their new home to collect the necessary items, careful to avoid her sisters. Miss Bellum spent the majority of her time at the Mayors office, but the girls were usually there so much anyway they figured it'd work out. She grabbed the items and scooted out of the house again. Now to make it work she needed one more ingredient... Chemical X... but the only place she could find that was...  
  
She slowed in her flight immediately, reluctant to return to their old home. It hadn't been long enough for them to begin demolishing it, so she knew it was still there. It was just a matter of going and finding a sample of the chemical in the basement. If there was anything left that is... the blast had come from the basement...  
  
After a few minutes she finally shook her head and flew back to their old house, landing out in front of it and setting down the stuff for the concoction. She just stared up at the ruins of their old house for a while until she finally forced herself to walk forward, hauling the rubble out of the way until she reached the entrance to the basement, which had been covered by debris.  
  
The basement was completely blasted, every single beaker and bottle seemed to be shattered into several dozen pieces or more. She took a deep breath, steeling herself before beginning her search through the rubble. Finally she found one small beaker of the precious substance had rolled underneath the table just before the blast, sparing it. She lifted up the table and grabbed the vial.  
  
When she emerged from the basement it was completely dark outside, probably well past bedtime. "Crap... I'm gonna have to finish tomorrow!" She exclaimed as she gathered up her stuff and streaking back to their new home.  
  
When she arrived she flew through the open bedroom window, the lights were off but she could see well enough. She quickly stuffed her ingredients into the top shelf of the closet before closing, keeping prying eyes away from it. She'd just finished when she realized that Bubbles and Blossom were both staring at her from the bed, which was on the other side of the room than she was used to.  
  
"What was that Buttercup?" Blossom asked as she stared at her sister strangely.  
  
"Nothing!" Buttercup exclaimed quickly. "I was just... changing!" She opened the closet door again to grab her nightgown from its hanger.  
  
"What did you put in there though?" Bubbles asked as her and Blossom got up from the bed to float over to the closet.  
  
"Nothing!" Buttercup exclaimed, blocking the door with her body. "I didn't put anything in there!"  
  
"You're not supposed to lie Buttercup, now what's going on?" Blossom demanded.  
  
"It's nothing! Really! We all have our own things, and I promise it's nothing dangerous or scheming, it's just private, you understand right?" Buttercup asked, trying to lay on the charm as thick as she knew how, which was still nothing compared to how the others could do it.  
  
"Oh..." Blossom said thoughtfully. "Well okay I guess..."  
  
"Well at least you're getting out of the house." Bubbles commented, smiling happily at Buttercup.  
  
"Hyeah..." Buttercup shot a quick half smile back as she pulled off her dress to change into her nightgown.  
  
"Well let's get some sleep girls, least we've been having a nice long break lately." Blossom said as she turned and floated back to the bed. Neither of the others could really argue that point, they hadn't really had to save anybody in a while, it was almost nice living like normal little girls for once.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
The darkness engulfed absolutely everything, blanketing it all in a veil of nothingness. There was nothing Buttercup could do as she felt herself slowly losing her own body. It slowly melted away right in front of her eyes, revealing absolutely nothing underneath. Not even any blood or bones, just a puppets wires and plastic.  
  
"No! What's going on!?" She screamed desperately into the darkness, only to find that she no longer had a voice. She was just disappearing into the darkness as silently as she'd left it. In front of her she saw the boy from that night's face floating in the darkness, smirking at her.  
  
"Without a soul, you're not alive, you're just a THING!" The boy exclaimed loudly. "Not even that... You're NOTHING!" He screamed.  
  
"No it's not true! I am something... I'm a Powerpuff!" Buttercup screamed almost tearfully.  
  
"Not even alive or human... Less than nothing. You're a FAKE!" The boy pressed on.  
  
"No, I'm NOT A FAKE!" Buttercup howled into the darkness furiously. Finally her skin dissolved away completely, leaving nothing but a wire frame and an occasional bit of plastic. She could only stare down at herself in horror; she WAS fake, nothing but a puppet to mimic people and save them...  
  
"NNNOOOOOOOOO!" Buttercup screamed loudly as she shot up in her bed to Blossom's right. She could feel the tears sliding down her cheeks at the sheer intensity of the nightmare. Beside her both Blossom and Bubbles shot awake at the sound of her scream.  
  
"Buttercup!? What happened?" Blossom asked worriedly.  
  
"N... Nothing!" Buttercup replied, wiping at her eyes furiously as Miss Bellum opened the bedroom door.  
  
"What happened in here!?" She exclaimed in alarm when she saw Buttercup still crying uncontrollably on the bed.  
  
"I think Buttercup had a nightmare." Blossom said, watching her sister worriedly.  
  
"What happened Buttercup?" Miss Bellum asked as she walked over next to the bed, kneeling down beside the crying powerpuff.  
  
"It was just a dream!" Buttercup snapped as she furiously tried to dry her eyes again with the back of her hands. "It's nothing!"  
  
"Well sometimes talking about it can help." The mayors assistant pointed out gently.  
  
"Well I don't want to!" Buttercup snapped. "It's nothing!"  
  
"Man Buttercup... Calm down." Blossom said a bit worriedly.  
  
"Yeah Buttercup, you're kind of scaring us." Bubbles chimed in.  
  
"I'm fine! Nothing's wrong! Just let me go to bed!" Buttercup shouted, lying down again and yanking the sheet up to her chin, not looking at anybody. She could practically feel her sisters looking up at Miss Bellum questioningly.  
  
"Go to bed girls." She replied. "We can talk about it in the morning Buttercup." She finished before standing up and bidding the girls goodnight. She left then, closing the door gently behind her, plunging the girls into darkness again. Buttercup was never afraid of the dark, but for some reason tonight she shivered when she saw the little light from the hallway blocked by the door.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
The next morning Buttercup woke late, not having slept all that well the night before. Blossom and Bubbles were already outside playing, and Miss Bellum was down at the mayors office. Perfect time to get her little experiment underway.  
  
She flew up to the closet to retrieve her ingredients before floating down to the first floor and into the kitchen, where she grabbed the biggest pot she could find from the cupboard and set it on the table. She didn't know if there was any special way to do this, so she decided just to throw all the stuff in the pot and hope it worked out.  
  
She put the cap, ball and game in the pot, staring down at them a few minutes with the vial in one hand. If she messed up they could have another fight just like the previous one with the Rowdyruff Boys, or maybe even worse. She was alone; and she knew she was strong, but even she wasn't dumb enough to think she could take all three Rowdyruff Boys. Maybe she should go get Blossom and Bubbles before doing this...  
  
No, they'd try to stop her. Besides, these weren't the ingredients Mojo had used; they couldn't turn out exactly the same, could they? Well there was only one sure way to find out, so she uncorked the vial and held it over the pot, hesitating a moment before finally dumping in the chemical X.  
  
She waited a few moments as the fluid seemed to flow over the objects, looking like it was eating them up before it finally began to sparkle. She watched closely until the entire thing exploded, throwing her back into the kitchen sink, where she plunked inside of it until the thunderous boom of the blast subsided.  
  
She slowly pushed her head above the sinks rim, looking toward the pot. Three boys sat inside of it, stuck there because it wasn't quite big enough to hold all three of them. They looked just like the ones from before, but their faces weren't twisted into harsh smirks like they were almost constantly in their last encounter.  
  
"Hey... what... someone let us out of here!" Brick shouted as he struggled to get out of the pot, prompting complaints from his siblings as he rubbed up against them as well. They were stuck tighter than a cork on a wine bottle. She couldn't help but notice that his voice wasn't as hoarse as it had been, he now sounded like a normal little boy.  
  
She silently congratulated herself for this unplanned precaution before floating out from the sink and up to the pot holding the boys. She watched them struggling to get free for a few moments, smirking to herself ironically as Boomer finally noticed her.  
  
"You wanna help us out here or open a zoo?" He asked her a bit smartly, but his voice too was more normal than it had been. Maybe this was a sign she'd gotten the ingredients right.  
  
"I'm just deciding something, keep your pants on." She told him, putting one hand to her chin thoughtfully. It seemed to have worked. They were understandably angry given their situation, but they didn't seem malicious like they had before.  
  
"Well come on, this hurts!" Butch demanded.  
  
"I said keep your pants on, geeze. You'd think you were caught in a noose or something. Stop struggling and it wouldn't hurt so much!" Buttercup told them. They did stop struggling, and looked better for it, but they now looked more angry than they had, which was not what she wanted.  
  
"Can you just PLEASE get us out of here?" Brick asked irritably.  
  
"Fine fine, hold on a minute." Buttercup mumbled as she grabbed Brick's hand, trying to pull him out of the pot. The three boys groaned painfully as they were squeezed together, but finally they popped out of the pot and flew to the floor, Buttercup going with them since she'd been tugging on one of them.  
  
"Whew, that feels a lot better." Brick said as he got to his feet. The boys turned to study Buttercup curiously as she got to her feet, suddenly very much aware she was alone with the three of them, and very much aware that each of them was as strong as she was.  
  
"Well thanks for helping out of the frying pan, without the fire." Butch said, winking at her. "We're the..." He began before she interrupted.  
  
"Yeah yeah yeah you're the Rowdyruff Boys, Brick, Butch and Boomer. I know already." The boys just blinked at her in confusion until she said. "I studied."  
  
"Uh... Well okay..." Brick said, scratching his head underneath his red cap. "Why were we in the pot anyway?"  
  
"Don't ask me, I've only created one thing before..." Buttercup replied, shivering at the memory. "Anyway I just wanted to... er..." She paused at this. She hadn't really thought this far ahead, she had the boys here, but she still wasn't any closer to knowing if she had a soul or not.  
  
"What?" The boys all asked in unison, surprising her for a moment, as she thought there were more than three for a moment.  
  
"Oh nothing." She told them. "Anyway... I'm Buttercup, one of the Powerpuff Girls... Boy what do I do with you?" She asked. "Can't just ask the others to let you stay here... I need a place to hide you..."  
  
"Well we could always stay in your tree-house or something like in all those movies." Butch pointed out, shrugging.  
  
"That's not a bad idea actually..." Buttercup exclaimed. "Follow me!" With that the streaked out of Miss Bellums house, followed closely by the beams of the boys. She led them through the town to the very edge of it where there was a small outcropping of trees just beside the main road. She took them a little deeper to pick out one of them.  
  
"I like this one." Boomer said as he floated up to one of the bigger ones, it stood taller than most of the rest. "Nobody'd see us, but we could see them." The other two nodded in agreement of this sentiment, also voicing that they wouldn't even need a ladder, only they could get up it.  
  
"Alright boys, line up!" She shouted like a drill sergeant, prompting the boy to line up in front of her like a military platoon. "Now we will get this tree-house done in no more than one minute. Is that understood?"  
  
"Yes ma'am!" he boys echoed each other almost perfectly.  
  
"Then let's do it! Woohoo!" The four streaks of light zoomed through the trees branches, folding and twisting them into an entire network. It was only seventy-five seconds later when they got it done and floated in front of it. They'd taken some extra time, but all in all it was probably bigger inside than Miss Bellum's entire first floor.  
  
"A little slow, but good work troops." Buttercup said, smiling to herself at her small accomplishment. That hadn't been too hard, and now the boys had somewhere to stay away from the prying eyes of people who might think they were the same boys from before.  
  
If only she could figure out what to do with them now so easily. She'd wanted to use them to find out about herself but she couldn't think of any way to do that now that she had them here... Well she'd just have to look out for them until she did think of something. They couldn't just wander around or someone might attack them, thinking they were still evil.  
  
"Hyeah this'll do for now I guess." Brick commented as he floated into the tree-house. "Big enough for sure."  
  
"Well now that we have a place of our own, what say we go out for a day on the town?" Boomer said. "I think we've earned it."  
  
"No!" Buttercup shouted. These were different boys from the others, they didn't know that everyone hated them, she'd have to be very careful about this. "I mean... Why not just decorate the house for now?" She finished.  
  
"Ah it's fine." Butch said. "I'm getting kind of hungry from all that work anyway."  
  
"Well I'll just go get you something!" Buttercup offered as she floated a ways from the tree. "You boys wait here while I go get us all something to eat. Be right back!" With that she streaked off through the trees as fast as she could, quickly emerging into the city itself. This wasn't good, if she tried to get the Rowdyruff's to leave town they'd get mad and beat her up, if she told her sisters they'd get mad and beat her up for reviving their deadliest enemies... it was a lose/lose situation. All she could do was try to keep anybody from knowing about them until she found a more permanent solution.  
  
She stopped by a burger place and picked up some burgers before heading back to the Rowdyruff's hidden tree-house, where they were all relaxing in their new home. The moment she entered with the food they all streaked for their positions over to her, grabbing for the food hungrily.  
  
"Hey! Watch it!" She yelled, pushing them back as she walked over to the small table they'd set up while she was gone. "I don't need you guys drooling on me before you get to the food." She set their burgers on the table, taking her one small one and stepping back as they leapt on the rest of them.  
  
"Right, you guys enjoy your food, I'm gonna go ahead and go home... I'll check on you tomorrow okay?" All she got in return was three grunts of acknowledgement. "And DON'T go out in public whatever you do." She said before turning and flying off through the forest again, this time heading for Miss Bellum's house.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Brick munched on his burger hungrily as he watched Buttercup fly off through the foliage of the trees. He didn't know why he was so hungry, probably because he'd just been created. Something seemed wrong about the way she was treating them; it was almost like she was trying to hide them or something. Why should she though? Aw well, what boy ever understood the mind of a girl?  
  
"This has got to be the best luck right here dudes." Butch said as he sat in the hammock he'd made himself. "Don't have to do anything if we don't want to."  
  
"Hyeah really." Boomer agreed as he sat down on his beanbag in the corner of the room. "This really is the life. If she keeps coming back and getting stuff for us I could get to like girls." He chuckled softly at this.  
  
"I don't know, this seems like it might get boring to me." Brick told his brothers.  
  
"Well when it does we can go out, she can't watch us ALL the time can she?" Butch asked simply.  
  
"Probably not." Brick replied, smiling slightly to himself. Honestly though he wasn't in any hurry to go anywhere, he just wished he knew why she didn't want them going anywhere. Kind of hurt not being trusted. Well he'd find a way to make her trust them, prove himself to her, then everything would be fine.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Buttercup arrived home at nearly five o'clock to receive faint stares from both of her sisters. She knew they thought she was up to something, and in fact she WAS kind of up to something, but she figured they didn't need to know. It was none of their business what she did on her own time.  
  
"Well does anybody know what we want for supper?" Blossom asked. Miss Bellum did spend almost all her time at the mayors office, so in the past two weeks the girls had had to learn to fend for themselves more. They'd eaten out most of the time, though Miss Bellum did show up for a home-cooked meal every now and then.  
  
"How about pizza?" Buttercup suggested.  
  
"That's all you ever want. I want something different!" Blossom complained.  
  
"I just want something new..." Bubbles whined. "You can only go off of pizza, hamburgers and chicken for so long." She said.  
  
"Well..." Buttercup began before they all heard the soft ringing from upstairs.  
  
"The hotline! It's been weeks!" Blossom exclaimed excitedly before the three of them darted up the stairs in streaks of light. Blossom reached the phone first, picking it up. "Yes mayor?" Buttercup and Bubbles just watched as she listened to the voice on the other end. "Uh-huh... We're on it mayor!" She hung up the phone and turned to her sisters. "Some crooks are robbing the bank!"  
  
"Let's go already!" Buttercup hadn't even finished speaking before she streaked off out the window. She'd been itching for some action a lot lately; whoever it was would get more than their share of lumps.  
  
When they reached the bank they found the crooks already tied up and being escorted back to the police cruiser by the cops. One of them looked up at them as they slowed down, nearing them.  
  
"Ah, there you are. I was wondering why you'd left so fast. Thanks Powerpuff girls!" He shouted up at them as he loaded the bad guys into the car.  
  
"Thanks? B... but we just got here!" Blossom exclaimed confusedly.  
  
"What's going on?" Bubbles said just as confusedly. Buttercup could guess what was going on, and she wasn't happy about it one bit. She'd have to have a small talk with those Rowdyruff Boys the next chance she got. What were they thinking charging around saving the day? Especially after she'd told them to stay put. Well it'd have to wait till tomorrow, it'd look suspicious if she suddenly left again now.  
  
So she stayed quiet while Bubbles and Blossom puzzled over this odd occurrence. Finally they decided to just call it a weird happening and return home to argue over dinner some more. Hiding the boys from everybody was obviously going to be harder than Buttercup had thought; she'd have to be more careful from now on...  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
The night fell across he Townsville as it did every night, shrouding everything in its comforting darkness. The Rowdyruff Boys stood on the edge of their tree-house, looking through the comparatively thin layer of foliage near the tops of the other trees at the now dormant city, only a little life remained in certain spots.  
  
"Well what do you say boys, sleep like we have been almost all day or have some fun?" Brick asked his brothers. The vote was unanimous; they were tired of being cooped up. So they took off from their new home through the foliage and into the city. They slowed down before they actually went over the city and landed, preferring to walk so as not to draw attention.  
  
For their first stop they headed over to the house they'd first appeared in earlier that day. They floated up to the window and looked in to see Buttercup asleep on the bed along with her two sisters. She looked pretty cute lying there with a small smile on her face, something of a big change from the worried smirk she'd worn all day around them.  
  
Brick jerked his head away from the window at the other two, who nodded and followed him away from that house. They landed and walked along the nearly deserted sidewalk, dark except or the soft glow of the stars overhead and the lights that lined the roadway.  
  
Their next stop was a small park where few people were actually present at this time of the night. They decided to rest at one of the tables and talk about where they wanted to head on their first night out.  
  
"So, where do we go from here?" Brick asked.  
  
"Somewhere fun." Butch said. "Where else?"  
  
"At this time of night? Where could we go? Everyone else is probably out cold." Boomer countered.  
  
"Well what would YOU rather do?" Butch shot back at him.  
  
"Guys enough, we need to think of something fun we can do late at night... now let's see..." Brick said, putting one hand to his chin thoughtfully.  
  
"Oh, how about the arcade!?" Boomer said in a sudden burst of inspiration. His brothers just looked at each other and shrugged.  
  
"Why not? What else is open, and there probably won't be many people there at this time of night." Brick said. So they all set off for the nearest video arcade. Not much of a night, but it was better than sleeping after being forced to stay cooped up all day.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
The hotline rang suddenly, startling Blossom and Bubbles awake. Buttercup kept on sleeping, having not slept nearly enough the previous night. The two awake sisters smirked at each other before Blossom streaked over to pick up the hotline phone. "What is it mayor?"  
  
"Blossom! The Rowdyruff Boys have been spotted at the arcade!" The mayor's voice said.  
  
"What!? How? We got rid of them! Well okay, we're on it!" Blossom hung up the phone before turning to Bubbles. "The Rowdyruff Boys are back! We've got to go!"  
  
"Okay!" Bubbles said before they both flew over to the closet to get changed. "What do we do about Buttercup?" She asked when they were both in their dresses.  
  
"I don't think she'd be much good right now she's so tired, let her sleep. I think we might be able to handle it since we know how." Blossom said before they both zoomed out the window for the arcade.  
  
When they reached the arcade they landed just outside of it, walking up to the arcade owner, who looked extremely nervous just to be standing there.  
  
"What have they done? Where are they? I don't see any damage." Blossom questioned the man.  
  
"They're inside! They're destroying everything I just know it!" The man replied, frantically biting his fingernails.  
  
"Okay calm down, we'll handle it." Blossom said as she nodded to Bubbles. The blond Powerpuff nodded back before they turned to head into the arcade. The lights were on, but dim since there wouldn't be many people here at this time of night. As they neared the game area they could hear three boys talking up ahead, that had to be them.  
  
"There you are!" Bubbles exclaimed as the rounded the corner, catching the three boys huddled around one of the arcade machines.  
  
"What!?" the three boys exclaimed in seeming surprise, looking over just before the girls lunged at them.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Buttercup let out a yell as she again woke in the middle of the night, a cold sweat drenching her almost completely, even though she was perfectly cool in the house. She put one hand to her head as Miss Bellum opened the door to check in on her.  
  
"Buttercup? What are you doing here?" Miss Bellum asked. "I thought you'd gone with Blossom and Bubbles."  
  
"What?" Buttercup asked as she looked over at the other side of the bed, seeing her sisters gone. "Where did they go!?" She asked quickly.  
  
"They got a call from the mayor about the arcade, something to do with the Rowdyruff Boys."  
  
"No! I've got to go!" Buttercup exclaimed, nearly in a panic.  
  
"Buttercup, I don't know if you're in any condition to be fighting right now." Miss Bellum told her. "Why don't you rest?"  
  
"No! You don't understand. I brought the Rowdyruff Boys back!" She yelled. "They're not bad now, but if they fight... I don't want anyone to get hurt!" She yelled almost frantically.  
  
"What... You brought them back?" Miss Bellum asked dumbfounded.  
  
"Yes! I was thinking that... Well I was thinking if... We were actually alive..." Buttercup said more softly. "It sounds stupid but... The old Rowdyruff Boys just vanished like they never existed and I was thinking... what if WE didn't exist either... I mean they were exactly like us..."  
  
"Buttercup, there was a HUGE difference between you and the old Rowdyruff Boys." Miss Bellum assured her, sitting down beside her and putting a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"What?" Buttercup asked.  
  
"The Professor cared about you like his own daughters. He gave you more than just your bodies; he gave you the love and care you needed to become real little girls. Mojo Jojo was just using the boys as weapons against you, so they weren't real. Do you understand?" She asked.  
  
"Y... Yeah I think so..." Buttercup replied, feeling a little better about everything. "But what do I do now with THESE Rowdyruff Boys..."  
  
"Give them what the professor gave you." Miss Bellum replied. "You brought them back, so give them part of what you value the most."  
  
"Yeah... Thanks Miss Bellum." Buttercup said, smiling slightly before remembering. "I've gotta go stop Bubbles and Blossom before they start a fight!" With that she streaked out of the small window, not even bothering to get changed out of her nightgown. She was in too big a hurry to be worried about that.  
  
She arrived at the arcade in time to see the fireworks fly as the boys fought with the girls. Butch was already down, unconscious amid a pile of rubble that used to be one of the arcade machines. Obviously the girls had used their element of surprise well. Still Blossom and Bubbled faced off with Brick and Boomer, attacking each other almost viciously.  
  
"Stoooooop iiiiiiit!" Buttercup screeched at the top of her lungs, halting the battles before they got any farther.  
  
"Buttercup, what's going on!?" All four of the remaining combatants asked simultaneously before looking at each other in surprise.  
  
"Stop fighting! Brick, Boomer, these are my sisters and I don't want you to fight them! Bubbles, Blossom, I made these Rowdyruff Boys and they're NOT bad!" She said this all with one breath, panting a bit when she was finally done.  
  
"What? You made them? Why Buttercup?" Blossom asked, staring at the two standing boys incredulously while Buttercup floated over to help Butch out of the arcade machine.  
  
"Because... It's a long story." Buttercup said. "But I want you all to stop fighting now... I'm sorry I hid everything, okay? I was just confused..." She said.  
  
"I don't REALLY know what's going on here right now." Brick said, glaring at Blossom with distrust heavy in his eyes. "We were just playing games and these two suddenly jumped us!"  
  
"Just playing games? But the owner said you were destroying everything." Bubbles replied.  
  
"Does anything LOOK destroyed besides what YOU destroyed by throwing our bother through it?" Boomer shot back. The girls just looked around, then shook their heads.  
  
"Why were you guys out here anyway? Why aren't you asleep?" Buttercup asked the boys.  
  
"We got BORED. We just rested and slept almost all day, we needed to do SOMETHING." Brick said.  
  
"Rested all day my foot, I heard about the stunt you guys pulled at the bank!" Buttercup accused.  
  
"The bank... YOU boys saved the bank!" Blossom said in a sudden revelation.  
  
"Yeah, we were just trying to help out. We never slowed down enough for anyone to know we weren't you, so nobody saw us technically." Brick said.  
  
"So what do we do now? About the boys I mean." Bubbles asked curiously.  
  
"Um..." Blossom said thoughtfully. "I don't know... I don't think Miss Bellum would appreciate MORE company at her house."  
  
"We can stay at our tree-house." Boomer offered. "It's really nice, as long as nobody's gonna jump us whenever we leave it." He smirked at this comment.  
  
"Yeah..." Buttercup said softly. "Well I should stay with you boys then!" This prompted stares and exclamations from everybody else in the room except for Butch, who was still slung over her shoulders, unconscious. "It makes sense right? I made them, so I should stay with them." She said.  
  
"No Buttercup, you stay home. We don't need CONSTANT attention." Brick said. "You COULD visit sometimes though." He said with the ghost of a smile.  
  
"Every day." Buttercup promised, smiling back slightly.  
  
Bubbles let out a slight yawn. "Well I'm getting tired since the excitement's died down..." She said.  
  
"Yeah me too... We should get some sleep. We need to explain things to the mayor and the arcade owner first, but it shouldn't be too hard." Blossom agreed.  
  
"Here, you might want to take this with you guys." Buttercup said as she handed Butch over to Boomer, who smirked and took him from her.  
  
"So I guess we'll see you girls tomorrow." Brick said, smiling at Buttercup.  
  
"Right, we can take you to school with us." Buttercup said. "In the morning."  
  
"Great." Brick replied, smiling broadly. The boys and girls bid each other goodnight one last time before they parted ways. The girls went back to their new home, and the boys back to their tree-house. Buttercup wasn't nervous about herself anymore, but the boys were a different matter. She had to make sure they got all the attention they needed to become real, they were her responsibility after all. And nobody knew more about responsibility than The Powerpuff Girls.  
  
THE END 


	3. 103- Rowdyruff Rumble

103- Rowdyruff Rumble  
  
  
A nine-year-old boy walked steadily along the road that led to the city of Townsville, not seeming to care about anything as he passed by several farms. He'd come a long way since he'd begun his journey, several states in fact. Ever since he'd failed to attain his immortality from Wendy, he'd searched for another way, it was far too troublesome to try the sacrifice again.  
  
Then he'd heard about something in this city, called Chemical X, which was supposed to have some extraordinary properties. Developed by a Professor Utonium, it was supposed to grant one incredible powers, including an immortal body. All he and to do was find this substance, and he would have everything he ever needed.  
  
In truth this nine-year-old boy was as two people at once. James Freeman, a simple boy from a small town in Colorado. And the man known simply as The Necromancer, who was far older than any human normally lived to tell about. Now all he needed was one substance, and his power would be complete.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Three weeks of vacation and still the Powerpuff Girls had to do fairly little for the city of Townsville. If this kept up much longer they just might have to move somewhere else just to have something to do. Of course, for Buttercup, this meant she could spend more time with her so-called sons, the Rowdyruff Boys. It was just a joking title among the girls and boys, as she was technically the one who created them this time, but any motherhood ended there.  
  
The girls were in their bedroom in Miss Bellum's house, now better acclimated to the new environment and living more normally. Now however they were going to pay the boys a visit. Bubbles and Blossom waited somewhat impatiently for their sister as she strained herself trying to fix her hair up perfectly.  
  
"Why are you getting dressed up anyway?" Bubbles asked. "It's only the Rowdyruff Boys, they probably wouldn't notice if you came with all your hair sticking straight up."  
  
"Yeah Buttercup, let us in on it. Do you have a crush on one of them or something?" Blossom asked teasingly, not expecting the response she got at all.  
  
"What? A crush? Of course not!" Buttercup snapped, blushing furiously and concentrating on arranging two little hairs on top of her head into perfect positions.  
  
"She's blushing... I think she DOES have a crush on one of them!" Blossom exclaimed half confusedly, half happily, and half disbelieving.  
  
"Yeah." Bubbles agreed, floating up behind their blushing sister. "Which one is it? Butch right?" She asked, grinning cutely.  
  
"Butch? Ewe no way, why would you think that? He's a barbarian!" She caught her sisters exchanging a quick ironic glance at each other. "Hey, I'm not THAT bad!" Buttercup complained, offended.  
  
"Alright calm down, we're just teasing you." Blossom reassured her quickly before she snapped. "We're just curious, that's all."  
  
"Yeah, we're really happy for you." Bubbles agreed, smiling slightly to show they were being serious. "The way you were going we thought you'd wind up scaring every boy away."  
  
"Gee thanks I think." Buttercup grumbled under her breath as Bubbles and Blossom chuckled to themselves. "Alright go ahead and yuck it up." She smirked as she finally turned away from the mirror. "How does my hair look?"  
  
Bubbles and Blossom just stared for a few moments, it looked exactly like it always did. "Perfect!" They both exclaimed at once, smiling brightly and giving the OK sign.  
  
"Okay well let's get going then!" Buttercup said, walking over to the window. As one the girls flew out the windows, flying over the city as its citizens wandered around, doing their daily chores. Both of her sisters could hear Buttercup's heart beating a mile a minutes as they approached the small forest where the boys' tree house was located. They weren't sure just what had made Buttercup so jittery over boys all of a sudden; she'd been acting that way for the last week.  
  
Finally they flew through the foliage of the forest and approached the boys house, literally made out of the tree branches themselves instead of built on top of them. They landed out on the small front porch where Blossom knocked, Buttercup practically hiding behind Bubbles.  
  
Boomer answered, opening the door wide enough for the girls too look past him where the other two were waiting on some beanbags set up in the center of the room. "There you are, you're late." Boomer said, smirking a bit. "We already got the food."  
  
"Oh really? Sorry, we were hung up." Blossom replied as she went inside with Bubbles right behind her. Boomer just stood at the door staring at them curiously. The girls couldn't figure out what his problem was until they finally realized Buttercup was just standing right outside the door, almost pale as a ghost.  
  
"Hey Buttercup, walk forward." Bubbles whispered helpfully to her sister. She chuckled delightfully at Buttercup's returning grumble as she finally went inside with them. Butch just sat on his beanbag, giving them an acknowledging nod, but otherwise ignoring them. Brick stood up from his own beanbag and went to greet them while Boomer plopped himself down in his own bag.  
  
"Hey, hope you girls found the place alright." Brick joked, smiling disarmingly so as not to offend them. Bubbles and Blossom chuckled politely, but Buttercup laughed out loud.  
  
"Haha, that was pretty funny..." She stopped when she realized she was the only one laughing and cleared her throat, blushing a bright orange. Bubbles and Blossom just exchanged a glance; they'd found Buttercup's crush. If their sister had one flaw it was that she was as subtle as a tank, whether dealing with villains or crushes.  
  
"Well... Have a seat. The food's on the table over there." Brick said. He ignored the derisive snorts of his brothers as he grabbed Buttercup's hand to lead her over to the table. Bubbles and Blossom walked over to sit on the beanbags with the other boys in the meantime.  
  
Buttercup blushed brightly when he took her hand to lead her over to the table. She wasn't really sure what he was planning on, but she definitely liked it so far. He moved over to the table and let go of her hand so he could grab a burger and put it on a plate before holding it out to her.  
  
"You hungry?" He asked.  
  
"Uh... not really, we had breakfast right before we came." She replied.  
  
"Oh..." Brick just shrugged and put the burger back on the plate. "Well so much for that..."  
  
"Sorry..." Buttercup said before finally catching herself, she was acting totally weird right now. "I mean I'm just not hungry." She corrected herself. She looked down at the table then, hoping she wasn't totally giving herself away. She obviously had though, as she suddenly felt his lips pressed up against her cheek.  
  
She didn't move, didn't even let herself breathe until he pulled back from her. She blinked as she looked over at him, he was already gathering up his own burger and taking a bite as he just stared at him curiously. He was acting like nothing had happened.   
  
"Maybe we can do this some other time... Buttercup?" Brick asked, looking over at her from the corner of his eye. Suddenly she remembered the others were right behind them, and it would definitely mean a lot of pressure from her sisters if they'd seen her like this. He was helping her out by not letting them be caught like that, and that only made her like him even more.  
  
"Definitely." She agreed, smiling broadly at him. He smiled back at her slyly as he stuffed the last of his burger into his mouth, reaching out one hand to take hers again. She happily took it, holding onto it as they turned to make their way back over to the others.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"Man you wanna talk about laying it on thick." Boomer said as he stared at the couple out of the corner of his eyes. "You'd have to be blind AND deaf not to notice that."  
  
"Well I think it's sweet." Blossom interjected. "Buttercup's not the most outgoing girl in the world, so I think it's good for her."  
  
"Yeah!" Bubbles agreed, glaring at Boomer. "You're just insensitive."  
  
"Big word blondy." Butch commented, drawing an angry protest from Bubbles. He smiled and laughed at her as she huffed in her bag, frowning.  
  
"Calm down Bubbles, he's just trying to get to you." Blossom said, glaring at Butch warningly. "I thought you boys were supposed to be good now." She said.  
  
"Nah, we're just not evil." Butch replied, smirking.  
  
"I don't know about that." Blossom grumbled under her breath as Buttercup and Brick finally left the table to join them at the circle of beanbags. Brick was smiling slightly, but Buttercup was practically beaming. Whatever had happened over there it had been something very good.  
  
"Come on bro, sit down, join us, we were just having a little chat." Butch said, smiling at Blossom. She didn't trust or like him at all, but for Buttercups sake she'd put up with him.  
  
"Well we should do something fun." Bubbles said cheerfully, obviously not really caring what the boys thought. "How about charades?" She suggested as Brick and Buttercup sat in the two empty beanbags, which just happened to be right next to each other.  
  
"Charades? That's for babies." Butch said, shrugging that idea off immediately. "I say we go outside and do something."  
  
"Go outside and play charades!" Bubbles agreed.  
  
"No charades!" Butch told her firmly.  
  
"Hey don't yell at her!" Blossom stepped in to defend her sister.  
  
"I didn't, she just won't shut up about charades!" Butch retorted.  
  
"I LIKE charades!" Bubbles pouted cutely.  
  
"ENOUGH!" Buttercup screamed, standing up to float in the middle of the circle of beanbags. "We're here to HAVE FUN and hang out not kill each other! Now we're going to play charades, anybody have any problems with that?" She asked, glaring at Butch pointedly. He simply grumbled darkly to himself while Bubbles gave a cute squeal of delight, clapping her hands together.  
  
"If you weren't Brick's girlfriend..." Butch grumbled to himself, folding his arms across his chest.  
  
"Hey, watch it!" Brick told him, embarrassed.  
  
"Shut up Butch! We're going to have fun, and you're going to have fun with us! Now come on!" Buttercup shouted, grabbing Butch by the shirt and dragging him into the center of the room. The others crowded around. "Just for being such a party-pooper you can start!" The told him.  
  
"Geeze, remind me not to tell her that her hair makes her look like a demon." Boomer muttered ironically.  
  
"Nobody can say she's not confident." Blossom agreed as Butch started the game, at Buttercup's insistent prodding.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
James walked up to the residence of the Utonium family, now little more than a pile of blasted and blackened rubble. This was unfortunate because it meant the professor was likely dead, and he would get no chemical from him. Well, it wouldn't hurt to have a look around.  
  
He walked among the rubble, keeping his sharp eyes open for any clues that even a single sample of the chemical had survived. Spread among the rubble were bits and pieces of furniture and carpeting, but beyond that little had survived. It wasn't likely any living thing could have lived through whatever had done this.  
  
Something glinted in the sunlight suddenly, catching his eyes. He reached down to pick up the object and examine it. It was a picture of a man in a white lab coat, obviously the professor himself, and three little girls. The girls however floated in the air beside him completely effortlessly.  
  
Unassisted and non-magical levitation, there was only one way such an effect could be achieved. They'd been infused with the chemical, granting them all the power it offered. It didn't look like any more samples remained in the house itself, so that meant he had only one option. Take the three living samples, at any cost.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Finally the Powerpuffs and Rowdyruffs grew tired enough to call a halt to their game of charades, much to Butches relief and Bubbles' disappointment. It felt like they'd only arrived a few minutes ago. In fact, none of them knew how long it really had been...  
  
"Doesn't anybody have a watch or a clock?" Blossom asked.  
  
"Clock? We don't even have cement walls let alone electricity for a clock." Butch said.  
  
"Don't be a smarty-pants." Blossom told him.  
  
Brick pulled his sleeve up to check the watch on his left wrist. "Geeze, it's nearly six o'clock." He announced, somewhat surprised.  
  
"What!? Oh man we should definitely go! We've been here for six hours!" Blossom exclaimed. "Where did the time go?"  
  
"Who cares? We had fun right?" Buttercup said, leaning against Brick. By this point she didn't really seem to care who knew about her crush, she'd spent all day trying to hide it until now when she just decided to let it all hang out. Brick didn't really seem to mind, though it made the other four a bit uneasy when they were exceptionally friendly with each other.  
  
"Of course we did." Blossom assured her sister. "But we REALLY should be going now. Miss Bellum's going to get home and worry."  
  
"Aw... Alright. Bye Brick." Buttercup said, giving him a peck on the cheek before joining her sisters near the door. She ignored their looks as they went outside, taking off towards home. They flew on in silence util they reached their new home.  
  
The girls flew in through the window, landing on the floor gently. Bubbles and Blossom couldn't help watching Buttercup as she sank down onto the bed, a half-dreamy smile lighting up her face.  
  
"No crush huh?" blossom teased, being totally unable to resist the temptation.  
  
"Yeah yeah, go ahead, laugh at me and say I'm going soft." Buttercup retorted defensively. "I don't care."  
  
"Aw I was just teasing Buttercup." Blossom said apologetically. "I didn't mean it. We're both really glad for you."  
  
"Yeah Buttercup!" Bubbles agreed, smiling in her insanely cute way. "We're just teasing."  
  
"Well I'm not in the mood for..." Buttercup stopped mid-sentence as the entire building felt like it was shaking down to its foundations. "What the..." All three girls let out a squeal of surprise as the floor bucked underneath them, hurling them into the air.  
  
"What's going on!?" Bubbles exclaimed as the three girls floated in the air, watching the rest of the room buck wildly. "Is it an earthquake!?"  
  
"We should get outside, see what's going on!" Blossom shouted above the rumble caused by the shaking. The girls streaked out the windows quickly, floating up above the city to survey the damage... to find there was no damage. The shaking had stopped, gone as quickly as it'd come.  
  
"I don't get it, what was that?" Buttercup asked, sounding just as confused as the others felt. "Earthquakes don't leave so fast without leaving a scratch anywhere."  
  
"I don't know..." Blossom replied worriedly. "Whatever it was though, it can't be a good sign."  
  
"Well it's over now..." Bubbles said, her voice shaking slightly. "Let's go back home, I don't feel so good..."  
  
"Okay Bubbles, let's go." Blossom said softly as she took Bubbles' hand comfortingly. The girls floated back down toward the ground, heading for their house now far below them.  
  
The three girls floated back in through their window, only to find a boy a little older than them waiting for them, watching them with his arms folded across his chest, his eyes cast downward, hidden under the rim of his cap.  
  
"Who are you?" Blossom demanded as the three girls assumed battle formation. "What are you doing in our room?"  
  
"Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup Utonium, infused with the rare Chemical X. I need your help." The boy told them seriously.  
  
"What kind of help? What happened? What can we do?" Blossom asked.  
  
"I need you to help me... by giving me your bodies." The boy said as he raised the rim of his cap, looking them in the eyes. His own eyes seemed to pulse a dark crimson as the room once again began trembling, throwing the girls into the air.  
  
"You picked the wrong girls to try to kidnap pal!" Buttercup howled as she flew toward the boy in a green bullet of light. The boy thrust one arm outward, a pulse of energy throwing the girl to the side just before she could reach him. She slammed into the wall hard, tearing a chunk out of it. "Hugn..."  
  
"You don't stand a chance! We're the Powerpuff Girls! No villain can beat us!" Blossom shouted as her and Bubbles flew through the air toward James.  
  
"Extretis nuerte puletrin!" The boy shouted, making a few shapes in front of him with his hands. A wave of shimmering crimson energy slammed into the two remaining girls, halting them in mid air before they even got halfway to their target.  
  
"What... is this?" Blossom exclaimed before her and Bubbles were hurled backwards, slamming into the wall on the far side of the room with enough force to make two huge dents in it. The crimson power continued to flow through all three girls, rendering them weak.  
  
"Incredible... With my magical power and your sheer physical strength, I shall be nothing less than a God." James said, smiling triumphantly. In front of him all three Powerpuff Girls collapsed to the floor weakly, their strength drained just enough to keep them helpless, but not kill them.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"What the heck is that!?" Butch shouted as the entire tree-house shook down to its very foundations, throwing all of the furniture in the room every which way, and taking the boys with it.  
  
"An earthquake!?" Boomer shouted above the roar as well, only to find that it had already subsided by the time he'd finished speaking. The boys just floated in the air for a few moments, looking around confusedly for the source of whatever had happened.  
  
"That was really weird..." Brick said softly, still looking round suspiciously.  
  
"What should we do now?" Boomer asked.  
  
"I don't know... I have a suspicion though..." Brick said, feeling his face go cold, probably going pale as well. He knew the other two knew what he was thinking.  
  
"Probably something to do with the girls." Butch echoed Brick's own fears as he spoke clearly, looking out the front door. "Well no point in waiting around wondering, let's go find out what happened!" He got no argument from the other two as they flew out of the tree-house, streaking across the sky.  
  
As they flew none of the boys could help but wonder why they were rushing to the girls' rescue. If something was strong enough to already take the girls down, the boys didn't have a chance either. They couldn't stand by and do nothing though; they had to try somehow.  
  
Finally they neared the girls' house and streaked in through the window. The furniture was just as disorderly as the boys' own home now was after the quake, but more important were the impact craters in the walls. They'd been right after all; something had nabbed the Powerpuff Girls.  
  
"Blossom! Bubbles!" Boomer shouted as he cupped his hands over his mouth, sticking his head out the window to see if they were still out there somewhere.  
  
"Buttercup!" Brick practically screamed in unison with his brother as he flew out the window and up above the house to have a better look. The sky was beginning to darken into nightfall, casting an almost golden/crimson tinge across the entire city. There was no sign of the girls no matter how carefully he looked; he couldn't spot them anywhere.  
  
He finally stopped staring at the city as his brothers floating up to join him on the roof, Butch was carrying a red barrette in one hand that looked extremely familiar to all three of the boys.  
  
"Is that what I think it is?" Brick asked, even though he really didn't need to.  
  
"Blossom's barrette." Butch confirmed, holding it out to him. The bow was rumpled up and creased, almost like someone has crunched it in their fist. "She never goes anywhere without it."  
  
"So what do we do now?" Boomer asked his brothers. "We don't know where they are, have no way to find out where they are, and even if we did know where they are we would probably lose." He said plainly.  
  
"We search the city until we DO find them and free them of course." Brick replied as though it were the most obvious course in the world. He moved to fly off over the city, but Butch grabbed his arm quickly, holding him there.  
  
"I have a better idea... Whoever did this is obviously a villain, and pretty diabolical, and one we've never seen before if he actually BEAT the girls." He said. They hadn't been around long enough to know this, but the girls, specifically Buttercup, had eagerly told the boys about their many triumphs over the forces of evil. "We have the strength, but we need a diabolical mind."  
  
"Where do we find one of those?" Boomer asked rhetorically. He hadn't really expected an answer, but Butch turned and grinned, giving him one anyway.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
The entire hidden base in the center of the city was in shambles from the force of that quake, much to Mojo Jojo's dismay. It had been fast, but it had been fierce while it'd lasted. Something told him it wasn't a normal quake, but he didn't really care, he just had to get this mess cleaned up. What respectable villain lived in a place that was destroyed like this?  
  
So he went about cleaning up the equipment that had been thrown around, picking up glass beakers and bottled ships as well. It'd been three weeks since he'd done something evil... and he found he was actually enjoying living a quiet, peaceful life, at least for awhile. It was like a vacation.  
  
He allowed himself a small grumble as he dumped the ruined pieces of one of his bottled ships into the garbage can. It'd taken him weeks to make the thing, and now it was just destroyed. Someone would have to pay to replace it, and it wouldn't be him.  
  
Suddenly the red warning lights flared brilliantly throughout the entire base, alerting him that something was approaching. He might as well not even check, he knew who it would be, but he decided to make sure anyway. He walked over to the telescope, and indeed, three pinpoints of light were streaking toward his base.  
  
The Powerpuff Girls, probably here to beat him up again for causing the earthquake he'd suffered from as much as them, if not more since he'd lost a lot of equipment. A lot of the time when he fought with them he wasn't even hatching a plan, he was just trying to defend himself from them.  
  
So he stopped cleaning up and grabbed the ray gun off of the shelf, might as well put up a decent fight if he was going to get the crap kicked out of him anyway. He walked back over to the telescope to watch them as they neared the door of his base and slowed down. He'd been wrong, it wasn't the girls, it was...  
  
"WHAAAT!?" He screamed in surprise, throwing the gun to the side as he darted for the main entrance of his base. He threw it open, revealing the Rowdyruff Boys waiting on his doorstep. "What are you doing here? You were destroyed!"  
  
"Yeah we get that a lot." Brick told him as the three boys floated into the base. "Look Mojo, we're not here for a family reunion, we need your help."  
  
"My help? What do you need my assistance, that is my help with?" Mojo asked confusedly.  
  
"Someone's taken the Powerpuff Girls, we need you to help us save them." Boomer told him. Mojo just stared at him for a few minutes before bursting into wild, almost animalistic laughter.  
  
"S... Save the P... Powerpuff Girls!?" Mojo finally calmed himself down somewhat, wiping a tear of mirth from one eye. "I do not like the Powerpuff Girls, I would crush them under my heel, and squish them mercilessly like three little Powerpuff bugs if I could, but I could not which is why I have not. I will not save them." He told the boys firmly.  
  
"That's not the smartest thinking Mojo." Brick said, floating up to put one arm around his shoulders companionably. "You see, you never could beat the Powerpuff girls, but this guy has. That makes him stronger than you."  
  
Butch floated up to continue the speech. "And how can you rule the world if there's already a stronger villain than you ruling it? It just doesn't work having TWO evil rulers."  
  
"So we propose a deal." Boomer said. "You help us rescue the Powerpuff Girls, and we help you get rid of this new villain whenever you might need us to. You win, we win, it's a win/win deal." He said.  
  
Mojo thought about this for awhile, they were right. If he'd defeated the Powerpuff Girls it wasn't likely Mojo could beat him on his own. Of course, since the Rowdyruff Boys were obviously back and on the girls side, he'd have to deal with SIX little curses in his way instead of three, that wasn't any better odds. His best chance was to go with the boys and let the Powerpuff Girls, Rowdyruff Boys and this new villain weaken each other, he'd be there to mop up whoever was left afterward.  
  
"I agree." Mojo told them. "I will help you to rescue the Powerpuff Girls, which is to say, I will assist you in this rescue." He did notice the boys grinning at each other behind his back, but he didn't care.  
  
"Great! Now all we need to do is find them." Brick said.  
  
"That will not be a problem, do not forget, I am the greatest scientific genius in the world." Mojo told him as he walked over to his main computer, one of the few pieces of equipment that had survived the quake unharmed since it was bolted to the floor. "I have the girls under constant surveillance, I know where they are all the time any time I choose to know where they at any time.  
  
He punched a few buttons on the keyboard, bringing up a map of Townsville. Three little colored dots appeared on it near the edge of the city, hidden in the cemetery.  
  
"Alright!" Butch exclaimed.  
  
"Well let's go get 'em!" Boomer shouted, ready to go.  
  
"Hold on, we can't just barge in, we need a plan or something... If the girls AND us could fight then we might take him but... I don't think so with just the three of us." Brick said.  
  
"That is why you got me, Mojo Jojo, the greatest mind in the world, to help you." Mojo said as he pressed a few more buttons. The boys whirled in surprise as one section of the wall opened up, revealing one solid steel body suit. It looked exactly his size, even with an enlarged helmet.  
  
"What is that thing?" Boomer asked as Mojo walked over to it, putting it on over his clothing.  
  
"This is my stealth body suit, designed for sneaking, peeking, and not getting seen." Mojo replied, holding the helmet under the crook of one arm.  
  
"Hey yeah, you can sneak in and free the girls while we keep whoever this new villain is busy!" Boomer exclaimed. "Perfect!"  
  
"Yeah... Perfect..." Brick said, staring at Mojo suspiciously, but didn't say anything else.  
  
So it was all set up, they would find the girls at the cemetery and distract the new villain long enough for Mojo to save the girls to help them fight. Brick knew any number of things could go wrong. The girls might already be... gone, Mojo might betray them, the villain still might overpower the six of them... but he didn't care. There was no way they wouldn't try no matter how difficult it would be, they had to try.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Buttercup groaned slightly as she slowly regained consciousness. Her muscles felt like they were made of rubber bands, she could barely move her neck from side to side, let alone actually do anything. She tried to open her eyes, but everything remained dark, something was covering them. She gulped softly, trying to move, but she was pinned down, the cool metal holding her there chafed painfully where they rubbed against her skin.  
  
"Awake? So soon? You really must be pretty strong. I struck you hard enough to knock out an elephant for days." A voice said somewhere below her feet. "Only makes me want your strength even more." He told her.  
  
"Who are you? What do you want?" She asked.  
  
"I just told you, I want your strength." He replied. Clanging footsteps on a cement floor told her he was moving around.  
  
"You can't take our strength, it's part of who we are!" Blossom shouted beside buttercup. Obviously Buttercup wasn't the only one who'd woken up, the others had too.  
  
"No, it's caused by the Chemical X in your bodies. Extract it, and your power will be mine." Their captor replied.  
  
"Extract..." Blossom said softly. "But then..."  
  
"Won't we be..." Bubbles continued.  
  
"Powerless?" Buttercup finished.  
  
"No girls... You'll be dead." The voice said, getting gasps from the three girls. "Ironic really, I choose not to use the sacrificial ritual, and end up having to sacrifice you three to get to the chemical."  
  
"You're not sacrificing anybody!" Buttercup yelled, struggling to pull away from the table she was lying on. She didn't accomplish much though; she was still too weak to do much of anything. "Aw man..." She breathed weakly.  
  
"Let us begin then... shall we?" The voice asked menacingly as the metal table the girls were strapped to began to move. The girls fought to get free, but they couldn't even use their eye lasers with the blindfolds on.  
  
"Why do you want the chemical anyway?" Blossom asked. "What good will it do?"  
  
"It will make me immortal." The voice said as the table stopped suddenly.  
  
"Immortal? What do you mean? We're not immortal... Are we?" Blossom asked confused.  
  
"What is immortal?" Bubbles asked.  
  
"It means you will never age, you will never die of disease or time." The voce taunted them. "You didn't know... Fascinating. I wonder why your professor never told you."  
  
"Never grow older?" Bubbles said surprised. "But... But..." She sputtered. "We HAVE to grow older!"  
  
"Ah he's just full of it! Ignore him Bubbles!" Buttercup shouted. "He's just trying to make us give up! Lose hope!"  
  
"It really doesn't matter if you give up or not. Now say, goodbye." He said just before the girls heard the whirring of what almost sounded like three drills, one right in front of each of them. They all let out screams of fear as they heard the spinning tools right in front of each of them. They could practically feel them inching toward their foreheads.  
  
Suddenly a thunderous crash echoed through the room, coming from somewhere in the direction of the girls heads.  
  
"Take those drills out boys!" A voice commanded instantly, a voice Buttercup would have leapt at hearing if she'd been able to. Each of the drills exploded in front of each girl, shrapnel from the blast tearing the blindfolds right off of them, as well as thoroughly slicing their dresses into ribbons.  
  
The girls finally took a look around them. They were in what looked like a mausoleum, It was empty though except for some equipment obviously added on. The nine-year-old boy from before stood in front of them, glaring at the Rowdyruff Boys as though he were simply annoyed at the intrusion. The drills in front of each girl had come mere inches from them, the now still bits nearly touching each of them.  
  
"Others infused with Chemical X?" The boy said curiously. "Intriguing, makes me wonder how many more there are." He said.  
  
"We're taking those girls with us!" Brick shouted at him forcefully.  
  
"You want to fight me? So be it then." James said, drawing his leather jacket off to drop it to the cement floor.  
  
"Be careful Brick! He doesn't look like much, but he's powerful!" Buttercup shouted back at the boys.  
  
"Come, have at you!" James shouted as he lunged past the girls. The sounds of battle echoed through the entire mausoleum.  
  
"Evasive maneuvers!" Brick yelled as the sound continued, any more voices being covered up by the thunderous explosions and impacts.  
  
"I wish I could see what's going on!" Buttercup yelled in frustration, trying to crane her neck to look back at the ongoing battle. She couldn't see much though, only an occasional flash of light.  
  
"We should try to find a way out of these shackles, help them." Blossom said, looking down at the shackles that held her to the table. Her eyes glowed crimson for a moment, but nothing else happened. "Man... no good."  
  
Suddenly an all too familiar voice seemed to come from right in front of them, but nothing was there. "Then perhaps you should let me, Mojo Jojo, handle the rescuing and unshackling." The girls gasped slightly when Mojo appeared in front of them wearing a sleek metal suit.  
  
"What are you doing here!?" Blossom asked quickly.  
  
"I have come to make sure I am uncontested as the greatest villain in all of Townsville, so I will help you to defeat the second best villain, making me, Mojo Jojo, the strongest!" He walked over to the console next to the table, examining it while the girls exchanged a glance.  
  
"Did he just say he's here to help us?" Blossom asked confusedly. The other girls just shrugged as finally the shackles around their arms and legs released themselves.  
  
"We're free!" Bubbles exclaimed as the girls collapsed to their hands and knees on the ground. "Ugh... Can barely move..." She whined.  
  
"Come on... we can at least see how the Rowdyruff Boys are doing..." The girls turned to slowly creep to the edge of the table to watch the ensuing battle.  
  
Buttercup moved to join them, but a hand gripped her mouth tightly as the other picked her up off the ground, pinning her arms to her sides. She yelled angrily and kicked her legs, but her voice was too muffled to be heard and she was too weak to break free. She could only fume angrily as she was carried off, away from her sisters and the increasing sounds of battle.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"We just can't get into his defenses! If we could distract him we might be able to..." Brick said, frustrated. No matter what they did this guys kept pushing them back, and his attacks were getting harder and harder to avoid. He lunged to the side as James sent another blast at him, plunging through the ceiling behind him.  
  
"Quick Bubbles, use your sonic voice!" Blossom said.  
  
"I don't feel too good, I don't think I can right now..." Bubbles replied.  
  
"You have to, or they're going to go down like we did." Blossom retorted.  
  
"WATCH IT!" Boomer screamed as one blast streaked right between him and Butch, sending them both hurling into the wall hard.  
  
"Bubbles quickly!" Blossom urged.  
  
"Okay... I'll try..." She said softly as she leaned against the table, pushing herself up to her feet. She took a deep breath, struggling to get herself as full as she could. She closed her eyes in concentration before finally opening her mouth.  
  
The wave tore through the air like a sea of daggers in every direction, digging themselves into the heads of anyone who heard it. Blossom and James clutched their ears painfully, but the boys didn't seem as affected by it, probably because they had their full strength and were the same as the girls.  
  
"Now's our chance! Come on!" Brick screamed. All at once the three boys lunged at the pre-occupied boy on the ground. They slammed into him all at once, pummeling him as best they could.  
  
"That's what you get for messing with the Rowdyruff Boys!" Butch shouted, kicking him again.  
  
"Enough!" The boy screamed, getting up to his knees and flinging his arms outward. A small blast flung the boys away from him a few feet, but didn't really hurt them. "We'll finish this another time... I will get that chemical from you, then I will make you all suffer for eternity."  
  
"Try it buddy!" Boomer said, firing one quick crimson eye beam. It struck James in the back, sending him stumbling forward. Suddenly he vanished into the air, leaving no trace of him.  
  
"Yeah! Piece of cake!" Brick shouted excitedly. "No villain alive can stand up to..." the boys all formed up in a quick pose. "The Rowdyruff Boys!"  
  
"Alright..." Blossom agreed, smiling at them, but something in her face gave away that she was worried about something.  
  
"What is it Blossom?" Bubbles asked. "Is it about what he said? That we won't grow up?"  
  
"Yeah..." Blossom replied.  
  
"Won't grow up? That's nonsense." Boomer said. "Everyone grows up. It's just part of life."  
  
"Hey guys." Brick said. "Where did Buttercup go?" The rest of the kids looked around, the girls getting worried looks on their faces.  
  
"For that matter, where did Mojo Jojo go?" Butch asked. Nobody needed to actually say it to know what had happened. Brick's fists balled up tightly, his knuckled turning white.  
  
"That back-stabbing little monkey! I'll kick his butt so hard he'll be SPITTING blood!" Brick screamed.  
  
"We have to find them quickly, what if he decides to finish what the Necromancer guy was about to do..." Blossom said, growing more worried by the second as she thought about it.  
  
"If he hurts her at all he's going to pay!" Brick screamed. "We have to go find them! To Mojo's hideout!" He said, streaking off even before anyone could reply.  
  
Butch and Boomer stopped to pick up the still weakened Blossom and Bubbles respectively before following behind their brother. He was flying faster than any of the others had ever seen him go, and the look on his face was one none of the others had seen either. A look of determination, that he would die sooner than give up on this.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"You get me off of this table you sick little monkey!" Buttercup screamed angrily, pulling at the bonds that now held her to one of the tables on Mojo's hideout. "I thought you said you were there to help us for once, not kidnap me!"  
  
"Shut up." Mojo grumbled, grabbing a piece of electrical tape off the desk beside her and covering her mouth with it. She continued to scream a stream of unrecognizable words as he grabbed a hypodermic needle off the same desk. "I was planning on helping you, but when I saw you there I realized that now was my chance. That kid was right, your blood is Chemical X, and if I inject it into myself, I, Mojo Jojo, would have all the powers of the Powerpuff Girls."  
  
Buttercup watched the needle nervously, babbling a bit underneath the tape. "Don't worry, this won't hurt unless I hit a vein." Mojo said as he lowered the needle down towards her stomach, exposed from the shrapnel of the drill. Her entire body tensed up reflexively as he drew out the liquid of her stomach. It wasn't blood, as was thought, It was a light greenish color... Chemical X. Strangely the small bit of blood that came out of the tiny pinprick itself was regular red blood.  
  
Mojo pulled out the needle, grinning as he examined the contents. "Now, all I have to do is inject this into me, and I will be the strongest AND the smartest villain in the world!" He let out a hearty laugh just as the front door busted open, the boys zipping just inside to stare at him.  
  
"We had a deal Mojo!" Brick yelled. "Let Buttercup go! NOW!" Buttercup let out a small happy squeal that was muffled under the tape.  
  
"I do not listen to threats! Because now it is I, Mojo Jojo, who has the advantage, not you! I have Buttercup, and the Chemical X, which means I am the one on top! I, Mojo Jojo, am winning! And you, Rowdyruff Boys are not, because you are losing while I, Mojo Jojo, am the one defeating you!" Mojo said mockingly.  
  
"Fine, keep her, just stop repeating the same thing over and over!" Butch yelled, gripping his head painfully. Buttercup let out a growl deep in her throat, glaring at him.  
  
"Don't make me tell you again Mojo! I get mad when I have to repeat myself!" Brick told him angrily.  
  
"You can all watch, as I become, Super Mojo Jojo!" Mojo moved the needle toward his arm... only to have it shot out of his hand by a crimson blast. "Wha!?" He jerked his hand back quickly as the crimson glow in Bricks eyes from the blast died down. "How dare you!"  
  
"Yeah yeah, just let her go and we'll leave!" Brick demanded.  
  
"I think not!" Mojo exclaimed, jumping quickly over to the table. He quickly grabbed another needle off the desk, holding it above Buttercup's throat. "One more move, and Buttercup will be Buttercup no more!" He laughed at his own dumb joke as Buttercup howled underneath the tape, shaking slightly and eyeing the needle.  
  
"That's it, you're going down Mojo!" Brick shouted, darting forward.  
  
"Hey!" Mojo shouted as Brick's fist slammed into his face, throwing him back against the wall. He slid down it, landing on the floor weakly. "Ugh..." On the table Buttercup screeched as the needle fell from Mojo's grasp on impact from Brick's fist, plunging into her arm.  
  
"Buttercup!" Brick yelled, streaking over beside her. He pulled the needle out carefully, also pulling a grunt of pain from Buttercup. "I'm sorry... Are you okay?" He asked softly as he took the tape off of her mouth.  
  
"Ow... Yeah I'll be fine..." Buttercup replied as he snapped the shackles off of her. She sat up, rubbing the spot on her arm where the needle had gone in tenderly. He took her arm in his, also rubbing the spot.  
  
"Really wasn't too smart to rush him like that I guess." He said sheepishly.  
  
"Ah it's fine..." Buttercup replied. On the other side of the room Butch and boomer walked up to Mojo, looking down at him.  
  
"I don't think HE has any magic to get away with Boomer." Butch said, grinning.  
  
"No I don't think so." Boomer agreed. Mojo just sighed shakily to himself before they both took to pummeling him.  
  
Buttercup looked toward the entrance as Bubbles and Blossom poked their head in curiously. "Over here you guys." Buttercup said, waving them over.  
  
"Oh good, everything's okay. We would have saved you buttercup, but we're still a bit beat..." Blossom said apologetically.  
  
"Don't worry about it." Buttercup replied. "I don't feel so hot either. The boys did fine... for amateurs." She said, smiling up at Brick.  
  
"Hey, I think we did pretty good for just our second time saving the day." Brick replied, smiling back down at her. Just then Boomer and Butch walked back over, dragging a hideously mangled and mauled Mojo Jojo with them.  
  
"We were gonna head home and drop this off at the police station." Boomer said. "Anything else we should do?"  
  
"Um... why don't you take us home too?" Blossom said, glancing at Brick and Buttercup meaningfully. He caught her drift almost immediately.  
  
"Sure, come on." Boomer said. Bubbles climbed on Boomers back while Blossom got on Butch's. Within moments they were already gone, out of the so-called hidden base.  
  
When they were alone Buttercup stood up, leaning against Brick gently. She looked him squarely in the face, smiling ironically to herself. "Hey Brick... What are little boys most afraid of?"  
  
"Afraid of?" Brick asked confusedly. "I don't know... what?  
  
"This." Buttercup said, kissing him lightly on the lips. They held the kiss for a few moments before she finally pulled away from him slightly.  
  
"I don't see what's so scary about that." Brick said, staring at her eyes almost like he was in a trance.  
  
"Good." Buttercup replied, smiling brightly at him. So now, the Powerpuff Girls kept the powers, and still kept the city safe from any evil. But Buttercup knew that if they were needed, she would always be able to count on the Rowdyruff Boys to help out. More specifically, she could count on Brick, her solid wall to lean on whenever she would need him.  
  
THE END 


	4. 104- Bubbles' Plans

104- Bubbles' Plans  
  
  
The mirror shattered with a tremendous crash as Blossom's fist punched through it easily. The bits and pieces fell to the ground in a shower of glass, reflecting back a myriad of colors and images as they hit the tiled bathroom floor. Slowly she pulled back her fist, examining it carefully. The glass had bitten into her skin only slightly, what little blood there was could be wiped off with a rag and it would be good as new. Slowly she wiped off the blood, seeing immediately that other than a few little punctures, she was unharmed, while any normal person would have been bleeding profusely.  
  
She bit her lower lip and cradled the hand that'd punched through the mirror in the other hand. It had hurt for only a second, but just what this meant was wracking her brain like a needle, slowly punching its way into her consciousness. Her skin didn't feel any tougher than any other girls skin, but it took a lot more to break. Her bones were as far as she knew like anyone elses, but she'd been thrown through buildings with no effect. She'd been in the same blast as the professor and lived...  
  
Would she EVER die? What if that boy or whatever he was had been right? What if she never aged, never died, and was always only five years old? She didn't think that would be much fun, she had to grow up eventually. If she didn't then that would mean they would just be like this forever... she was too young to really think about it now, but she would never grow up to get married, get a job, live her own life. She'd always be right here, living under someone's care, watching over Townsville...  
  
"Blossom? What was that noise?" Bubbles' voice came to her from the door to the bathroom as she poked her head in, a worried expression on her face. "Blossom! What happened!?" She exclaimed in alarm when she saw the small cuts on Blossoms hand and the sharps of the broken mirror on the floor.  
  
"It's nothing... I tripped and broke the mirror." Blossom replied. She bent down to pick up the broken mirror carefully before putting it in the trashcan beside the sink.  
  
"Are you sure?" Bubbles asked, walking over to put a hand on her sisters shoulder worriedly. "I mean... You don't seem like yourself and..." She said, looking up at the mirror. Blossom followed her gaze to see that not only had she shattered the mirror, but her fist had also punched a hole into the wall behind it.  
  
"I'm fine Bubbles, really. Just a little stressed out... Getting a little anxious with having nothing to do, you know?" Blossom said, smiling at her blond haired sister so as not to seem as depressed as she felt.  
  
"I guess..." Bubbles replied softly, obviously not convinced at all.  
  
"Come on." Blossom said as she took her sister by the shoulder, leading her into their bedroom. Buttercup was still out somewhere with Brick. They'd been spending a whole lot of time together lately. She could see in Bubbles' eyes that she was confused about some things. She had always been the most innocent of the three girls.  
  
"Now look Bubbles... I'm fine, I'm just a little tired and stuff, alright? And we DON'T need to tell anybody about the mirror." Blossom tried to explain.  
  
"Okay..." Bubbles said softly, just sitting down on the bed cutely. She looked down at her lap as Blossom handed her Octi.  
  
"Now everything's fine. Why don't you play with our toys or something?" Blossom told her sister gently.  
  
"Okay..." Bubbles said softly, smiling as she fiddled with her stuffed octopus. Blossom couldn't help but sigh wearily as she watched her sister go back to playing without a care in the world. She wished she could do that right now, but she knew she couldn't with this hanging over her shoulders. She just needed time to think it over, work something out with herself... She'd be fine. She knew she would.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Buttercup simply let herself relax on the rather hard roof of the Rowdyruff Boys tree house. The blue sky overhead really helped her stay in a good mood, that combined with the fact Brick was lying right beside her nearly made her forget that she was a Powerpuff Girl. She might just stay here forever, staring at the blue sky, watching the small clouds floating lazily by.  
  
She sighed contentedly and let her head loll to the side, watching Bricks face as he stared at the clouds as well. The bill of his red cap kept the sun out of his eyes as he stared into the blue sky, his crimson irises seeming to glow in the residual light that reached them. The effect was quite eerie, but also a bit endearing to her for some reason.  
  
She smiled out of the corner of one mouth before looking up at the sky again. In a few moments he surprised her by speaking. "What do you see up their Buttercup? Anything interesting?" He asked. She turned her head to look at him again to find him watching her.  
  
"I don't know." She replied, smiling at him slightly. She'd never acted this way around anyone before, but it just seemed natural right now. "Nothing all THAT interesting, it's just a dumb old sky." She said. "Nowhere I haven't been before." She finished, smiling ironically at him.  
  
"Hyeah." He replied, chuckling slightly at her. For a few moments he just looked back into her pale green eyes. She gulped softly and just looked back, smiling out of the corner of one mouth again. "Not many places you haven't been I'm guessing." He said as he crawled over to her.  
  
"Not many." Buttercup agreed, watching him almost anxiously. Finally he reached her and put one arm around her, smiling down at her since she was still lying on her back. Slowly he leaned his head down toward hers, closing his eyes as it neared its destination. She closed her eyes as well and waited for it expectantly.  
  
"Brick, Brick, hard as a brick! Brick, Brick, hard as a brick!" She heard a semi-chant coming from the area near the front of the house, also on the roof. The laughter that followed finally made her look up to identify the source, Butch and Boomer.  
  
"Am not! Shut up!" Brick yelled, almost blushing a brighter red than the bill of his cap.  
  
"Go ahead, don't mind us." Butch said, grinning. Then both of the boys started making catcalls and swiping their hooked fingers through the air. Then they both fell over laughing, floating in the air instead of rolling on the ground.  
  
"Will you guys get out of here?" Buttercup demanded more than she asked. "Can't you see this is kind of a private moment?"  
  
"We can see that perfectly Sleeping Beauty." Boomer replied. "Go ahead prince, wake her up with a nice long kiss." Both boys burst into wild laughter again.  
  
"Ack!" Butch shouted, lying horizontal to the roof and pretending to be asleep. Boomer floated over and pretended to kiss him. "Oh prince!" Butch shouted mockingly, hugging him tightly before both of them burst out laughing again.  
  
"That's it!" Buttercup yelled, streaking out from under Brick and toward the other two. They took off like a shot, weaving through the trees as she flew up behind them, growling deep in her throat.  
  
The three streaks of light weaved and dodged about the forest, Buttercups furious cries for them to stop going unheeded. Try as hard as she might she couldn't catch either of them, so she finally stopped and glared around. "If either of you come on the roof again I'm going to kick your butts SO hard. Got it?"  
  
"Sure... Brick." Boomer replied, snickering softly to himself. She put one hand to her head, feeling something strange on it. She took off the thing to look at it closer... it was Brick's cap. It must've fallen off when she'd streaked by.  
  
"Nice look Betterhump." Butch said mockingly, prompting both boys to collapse into wild laughter on the forest floor. She growled darkly, but knew they were probably just baiting her again. So she turned and flew back to the tree house where Brick was still waiting on the roof.  
  
"Here, this is yours." Buttercup said ironically as she handed him his cap.  
  
"Thanks." Brick replied as he placed the cap back on his head where it belonged. "Now, where were we again?" He asked, smiling. He obviously remembered very well where they'd been.  
  
"Eh, maybe later... The two dimwits over there kind of ruined it for me." She said, smiling at him apologetically.  
  
"I'll have to have a chat with them later I guess." Brick replied. He sighed slightly to himself as he turned to look out at the forest again.  
  
"Something on your mind?" Buttercup asked him.  
  
"Nothing important..." He told her. "It's getting late though. Gonna be night soon."  
  
"Yeah, I guess I should head home then." She said, looking up at the sky as well. "I guess I'll see you again tomorrow, okay?"  
  
"Definitely." He replied, smiling at her gently. She smiled back happily before floating up off the roof. "Bye." He said, waving after her. She waved back before streaking off through the forest toward her house.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Bubbles hummed contentedly to herself as she played with her dolls on the floor at the foot of the bed. Buttercup wasn't home from the Rowdyruff Boys house yet and Blossom had taken off somewhere just a few minutes ago. She didn't know what was wrong with Blossom, but even she was smart enough to know she wasn't happy. There had to be some way she could help. She just had to think of it.  
  
She stopped playing for a moment and just laid their, thinking. Was Blossom still worried about what that boy had said about never growing up? She'd been a bit freaked out by that too at first, but she'd decided there was no point to worrying about something like that. So they'd be five years old for all eternity, it wouldn't be so bad. She'd have an excuse to keep her Octi her whole life.  
  
If only she could convince the other two that this was a good thing, then they'd stop being so depressed at night and stuff. How could she though? Blossom was too busy breaking stuff and Buttercup was occupied with flirting with Brick all the time. Well she'd just have to think of something, now, how could she do that?  
  
As she pondered what she would do Buttercup floated through the window, landing on the floor just in front of it. Once she landed she just walked over to the bed and plopped into it, as glum as ever. Things obviously hadn't gone too well with Brick.  
  
Well now was as good a time as any to cheer her up. "Hey Buttercup, wanna hear a joke I thought up today?" Bubbles asked sweetly, floating up to sit beside her sister on the bed.  
  
"Sure Bubbles, what is it?" Buttercup said, looking up at her obligingly.  
  
"What do you call an eight-headed cat?" The blond girl said.  
  
"I don't know, what do you call an eight-headed cat?" Buttercup asked dutifully.  
  
"An octi-puss! Get it? Octi, eight, pussy cat?" Bubbles laughed gleefully and clapped her hands together at her own joke. It wasn't that funny, but Buttercup couldn't help a small smile on her lips just from her sisters' infectious laugh.  
  
"Yeah that was a pretty good one Bubbles." Buttercup said, smiling slightly up at her sister. "Let me know if you have any more."  
  
"Oh I do! What's another name for Jar-Jar Binks from Star Wars?" Bubbles asked, happy to have someone's attention.  
  
"I don't know, what?"  
  
"Can-Can Drinks!" Bubbles laughed again, this time rolling on the bed happily. Buttercup let a small chuckle escape her own lips as she watched her sister practically in hysterics. "Jar... Can..." She continued her wild laughter for a few minutes until Buttercup spoke.  
  
"Heh. You're a pretty good comedian Bubbles." Buttercup said admiringly.  
  
"Wait, I've got one more. How do you cool down a hot-dog?" Bubbles asked happily.  
  
"I don't know... blow on it?" Buttercup answered.  
  
"Get him a drink of water!" Bubbles laughed again at this, and this time there was no way Buttercup could resist laughing along with her. It was way too infectious to resist the laugh of Bubbles.  
  
"Wait wait I've got one!" Buttercup said, really getting into this. Bubbles straightened up and paid rapt attention. "What color do all of our villains have on them?" She asked.  
  
"Um... I don't know... Pink?" Bubbles asked.  
  
"Red once we get through with them, BAM!" Buttercup made a swinging motion with her fist before bursting into laughter again. Bubbles clutched her stomach, falling over on the bed with the force of her laughter. They were both having such a good time exchanging jokes that neither one of them really noticed when the sun began to disappear behind the horizon, with Blossom still not home.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Blossom sat on top of the city hall silently, staring up at the final golden rays of the sun as it gave one last light show before it would vanish behind the horizon completely. Even the sun set every day, and started over the next. She couldn't help but think they should do the same eventually, but they never would. They would just always be right here, forever guarding Townsville, forever being five years old...  
  
What she couldn't figure out was why the professor had never told them about this. It did seem like something they needed to know and would probably notice anyway once all of their classmates were fourty and they were still five. So why hadn't he told them?  
  
She let out a small sigh and leaned back against the flagpole, putting her hands behind her head and crossing her legs. She didn't know and nothing seemed to be helping her figure it out. The sky offered no answers as the sun finally descended completely, leaving her cloaked in the pale light of the moon and stars overhead. Townsville looked completely different this night, almost like the darkness was moving, taunting her try to join it.  
  
She shook her head quickly to clear that thought out of her head. That was the last thing she needed, she should get home before she did something she'd regret. She floated off the roof, but Miss Bellum came out of the building before she could fly off.  
  
"Blossom?" She asked curiously, looking up and seeing her silhouetted against the moon. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you home with your sisters?"  
  
"Sorry Miss Bellum, I just needed to think for awhile." Blossom said as she floated down to stand in front of her foster mother. Miss Bellum started walking slowly along the street, so Blossom floated up to her head level and paced her, floating beside her slowly.  
  
"Thinking about anything in particular sweety?" Miss Bellum asked softly. Blossom shivered slightly as this, it was almost like she'd reached into her mind and known what she was thinking earlier.  
  
"Well... About what that boy said... about us living forever and stuff. I'm not sure if I can... well... accept that." Blossom said softly.  
  
Miss Bellum looked over at her a bit surprised. "What do you mean? Most people would jump at the chance to be you girls right now, and you have nothing to be sad about. You're kind, courageous girls." She said.  
  
"But we'll always be GIRLS." Blossom said a bit more forcefully than she'd intended. "We'll always be little girls who can't take care of themselves and I want to grow up someday, I want things..." She said softly.  
  
"Blossom... Don't worry about that." Miss Bellum assured her. "You will grow up, in here." She reached over to tap Blossom's forehead. "And here." She then tapped Blossoms chest, over her heart. "And you'll be a very nice woman, no matter how you look."  
  
"R... Really?" Blossom asked. "So... I will grow up even if I don't look different?"  
  
"Yes." Miss Bellum assured her. "I promise you will."  
  
"Well that's... GREAT." Blossom exclaimed happily. "I can act all grown up and still be cuter than hell! Oops..." She covered her mouth quickly, looking over at her stepmother.  
  
Miss Bellum just smiled back under the cover of her thick red hair. "I'll let it go this time. Just be careful later." She told Blossom gently as she put one hand on the Powerpuff Girls hair, mussing it slightly. "Just remember, you're not grown up quite yet."  
  
"I know I know." Blossom said, smiling broadly now as she tried to fix her hair. The ambient glow of the streetlights suddenly seemed to glow brighter to her as they continued on down the street, the darkness looking less inviting. She couldn't wait to get back home to her sisters, her bedroom, and her life.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
By the time the girls had settled into their bed that evening all three were in better spirits than they had been since the accident over a month ago. Their nightgowns rustled under the heavy blankets as Miss Bellum kissed them all goodnight. After she'd left the girls all sighed in unison, pulling the blankets up to their chins. Bubble's had her Octi held snugly under one arm.  
  
"There's one thing I still don't get..." Blossom mused to herself. "Why didn't the professor ever tell us that we would never age physically..."  
  
"Maybe he was afraid we'd react how we DID react." Buttercup suggested. "We didn't exactly take it too well..."  
  
"Or maybe he just didn't know." Bubbles suggested on the other side. "He did seem surprised when we started getting our own powers, maybe he didn't know about this one either."  
  
"Hey yeah... that's good thinking Bubbles. Maybe he didn't know." Blossom said.  
  
"But then how did that guy know if nobody else on the planet knew?" Buttercup asked. The other two girls pondered that for a few minutes, Buttercup doing the same.  
  
"My head hurts." Bubbles announced finally.  
  
"Ah why worry about it. We know now and everything's fine I guess..." Blossom told her sisters. "We should get some sleep..." She turned to look over at Buttercup, who still seemed lost in thought. "Buttercup?"  
  
"Huh? Oh, sorry." Buttercup said, shaking herself out of her daze. "Just thinking, me and Brick haven't even been able to kiss since Mojo's base. His stupid brothers keep interrupting us."  
  
"That has to be terrible." Blossom said sympathetically.  
  
"Yeah it is..."  
  
"Hey wait, if we're never going to grow because of the Chemical X, doesn't that mean the boys won't grow up either?" Bubbles pointed out. The other two girls just stared at her for a few minutes, neither of them had even thought of that. Bubbles was just full of brainstorms tonight.  
  
"Makes sense to me." Buttercup said, her eyes lighting up at a sudden thought. "So Brick'll be alive forever... together forever, yay!" She yelled, pulling the blanket more snugly around herself, smiling happily.  
  
Bubbles grinned to see both of her sisters getting along so good when they'd both been depressed the night before. Things were finally looking way up for all of them. Now if things just stayed this way everything would be perfect. Just let everything stay like this, no more villains, no more saving the day, just the girls, each other and their happiness... These thoughts brought a small smile to her lips even as she felt herself melting into her own private dream.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
The next morning Bubbles was the first awake, as the other girls had obviously stayed awake longer the night before. She yawned and stretched out slightly before she floated up from the bed over to the closet, pulling off her nightgown and pulling on her customary blue dress and tights.  
  
She'd definitely made progress last night as far as her sisters were concerned, but she knew they weren't quite as happy as they were acting. Blossom was still worried about them never aging, and Buttercup was still down because the boys were being mean to her and Brick. There was really nothing she could do about Blossom, but maybe she could help Buttercup...  
  
She fixed her hair quickly before floating out the window, looking down at the city as it seemed to sparkle in the morning sunlight. She loved flying in the morning; it just felt... pure to her. Like everything was perfect, and nothing could go wrong. She hoped the feeling was right as she made her way to the Rowdyruff Boys tree house in the small patch of forest outside of Townsville. Everyone knew the boys were there now, but none knew where they lived except the girls themselves.  
  
She floated through the foliage of the forest slowly, not wanting to get there too quickly, or she might wake them up. When she was within sight of the house she stopped completely, thinking for a few minutes. Should she really try and talk to them? She might only embarrass Buttercup or something... Ah she was only trying to help. What harm in that?  
  
So she floated over to land on the small porch in front of the house. The branches supported her negligible weight easily, as she was even smaller than most kids her own age. She walked up to the door and knocked lightly, stepping back to weight for an answer.  
  
A few minutes had passed before the door finally opened. Boomer glares at her from the door, nearly scaring her half to death when she got a good look at him. He was still in his blue PJ's, and his hair was sticking all around in a random tangle. His face seemed to droop almost below his face, making him look extremely scary to her. Obviously, she'd woken him up.  
  
"Hun oowa wan?" He grunted.  
  
"What?" Bubbles asked.  
  
"Huhn ooowah wan?" He repeated, getting a bit irritated.  
  
"What?" Bubbles repeated.  
  
"WHAT DO YOU WANT?" Boomer finally said loudly, getting a bit upset at being woken up so early. Bubbles took a step back, but quickly tried to compose herself.  
  
"Um... I just wanted to talk to you... about Buttercup." Bubbles said sheepishly. She really could have waited to come, and probably should have, but she'd been eager to get everything set right so they could just be happy.  
  
Boomer rolled his eyes and went inside, leaving the door open for her. "What about her?" He asked as he walked over to the little area that'd been cordoned off for a kitchen. They didn't have any electricity, so they used a battery-powered refrigerator they'd found in Mojo's base on their last encounter with the mad monkey.  
  
"I just wanted to ask if you could... you know... leave her and Brick alone. It would really mean a lot to both of them." Bubbles told him. Boomer simply turned to smirk at her as he grabbed a Coca-Cola from the fridge. He popped the lid and took a sip, looking more active already. Coke, a kids coffee.  
  
"I don't like Buttercup." Boomer said bluntly, taking another swig and walking up to her. "And I don't like you, blondy." He flicked her in the nose mockingly, grinning almost from ear to ear.  
  
She narrowed her eyes, offended, but decided not to rebuke him. "Why don't you like us?" She asked simply.  
  
"Cuz you're girls, and you're messing with my brothers head." Boomer replied.  
  
"They just like each other, is that wrong?" Bubbles asked. "You have no right to not like us because we're girls. We've been fighting crime and saving the day since before you existed!"  
  
"Well I could still kick your butt in a fight!" Boomer said challengingly.  
  
"Wanna bet!?" Bubbles replied reflexively, not really expecting him to take her up on that.  
  
"Huh... Alright. We fight, right here and now. If you can knock me out, me and Butch will leave Buttercup and Brick alone all they want. But if I win... You and Blossom get to be our servants for as long as we want." Boomer offered, smirking to himself.  
  
"Fight? Why do we have to fight? I hate fighting." Bubbles whined. She knew he wouldn't back down though, and she couldn't either or Buttercup would be miserable forever because of these boys. He'd make it a point to keep bothering them just to spite Bubbles herself.  
  
"Take it or leave it blondy." Boomer said, grinning at her mockingly.  
  
"Oooohhh..." Bubbles groaned, narrowing her eyes and balling up her hands angrily. She hated that name, and was getting sick and tired of it. "Fine, you're on!" She said.  
  
"Fine then, no leaving the woods though, wouldn't want to level Townsville." Boomer said, setting his can on the table before turning to Bubbles. "Catch me if you can babe!" Suddenly he streaked out the window in a blue pinpoint of light. Bubbles growled deep in her throat before streaking out after him.  
  
She zoomed through the trees, keeping site of the blue light trail almost right in front of her. The leaves on the trees were blown off of their limbs from just the force of the air as they passed by; entire trees were being stripped clean. The two blue lights dodged and bucked through the tree trunks, Bubbles trying to catch up to Boomer, who was laughing and purposely trying to avoid her.  
  
"Get back here and fight!" Bubbles screeched angrily, her eyes firing two crimson lasers out in front of her. Boomer dodged them easily, laughing joyously to himself. This only served to make Bubbles even more enraged, her eyes glowing brighter than they ever had before. She opened her mouth wide, letting out a scream of frustration.  
  
A crimson shock-wave ripped through the forest, the force of her eye beams carried on the sonic wave of her voice, and amplified by it. The wave tore through the trees, sending many crashing to the ground with thunderous crashes. The noise deafened even her as the wave decimated a pie shaped section of the small forest, the flattened area looking like a missing piece. Finally she closed her mouth and opened her eyes again to look at what she'd done.  
  
"Whoa..." She whispered to herself in amazement. "How did I do that?" She whispered in awe. The forest in front of her looked almost completely flattened, there was no sign of anything moving amid the rubble of the once great forest. "B... Boomer?" She remembered he had been in front of her just a minute ago, she hoped he hadn't been caught in the wave.  
  
"Boomer!" She shouted more loudly, floating over the sea of toppled trees. "BOOOMMMEEEERRRRR!" Her sonic voice echoed through the forest loudly. Finally she heard a soft groan from underneath one of the bigger trees. She streaked down quickly and hauled it to the side, revealing Boomer underneath, lying weakly on the grass. "Oh no! Are you okay!? I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" Bubbles exclaimed worriedly.  
  
Boomer opened his eyes slowly, smirking up at her. "Hyou win Bubbles... Uhn..." He said before he fell unconscious on the grass again.  
  
"No!" Bubbles screamed, grabbing him and flying back to the tree house since it was the closest source of help she could think of. She broke through the roof, landing in the center of the room. Butch exclaimed in surprise from the beanbag that he'd been resting in, sipping a coke of his own. "I hurt him, I'm sorry!" Bubbles yelled at him as she set him on two of the beanbags that she'd moved with her feet to form a small bed.  
  
"What on Earth did you do to him?" Butch demanded angrily, pushing her away from his brother.  
  
"It was an accident, I'm sorry!" Bubbles said as she stumbled back away from the two Rowdyruff Boys from the force of his shove, nearly in tears. "I'm sorry..." She gasped out.  
  
"Just get out of here blond bimbo, you've done enough damage and it's not even breakfast time yet!" Butch yelled at her, making her physically cringe. She leaned against the wall, staring back at his utterly furious face.  
  
Se felt herself building up, her lower lip quivering hugely and her eyes watering up like a dam ready to burst at any moment. "I said get out of here!" Butch screamed, prompting her to streak out the window almost instantly. She flew blindly through the streets, sobbing to herself. She hadn't meant to hurt anybody, it'd been an accident...  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"We're gonna be late! We're gonna be late!" Blossom chanted as she streaked around the bedroom, gathering up everything she would need for that days school session. Buttercup sat up in the bed more slowly; they had only been up for one minutes. She'd always marveled at how fast Blossom could snap into action when she was running behind.  
  
"Okay, I think I've got everything. Hurry up Buttercup, or we'll be late!" Blossom told her sister quickly, tapping one foot impatiently. Buttercup just took a slow look around, noticing something her sister had obviously missed.  
  
"Blossom... does something seem to be missing to you?" Buttercup asked.  
  
"Nope, got my book-bag, my binder, paper, pencils, pencil sharpener, eraser, and pencil grip." She said, presenting the items as she listed them. The grip was completely round, since the Powerpuff Girls didn't have fingers. "What would be missing?"  
  
"Hum... I don't know... how about... OUR SISTER!" Buttercup yelled. Blossom blinked and took another look around, not seeing their sister anywhere.  
  
"Hey yeah now that you mention it, I haven't seen Bubbles all morning."  
  
"Me neither, do you think she already went to school?" Buttercup asked.  
  
"I doubt it... Oh I hope she didn't try to do something dumb like save the day by herself or something." Blossom said worriedly.  
  
"Well should we look for her or get to school like good little girls?" Buttercup asked.  
  
"Well we should at least check the school to see if she did go before we did." Blossom said softly. So they flew toward the school as fast as they could, not taking the time to enjoy the view before landing just outside of the entrance to the school.  
  
They both looked around the courtyard, searching through kids faces to try to spot Bubbles among the crowd. They didn't see her anywhere, but they did spot the Rowdyruff Boys handing out by the jungle gym.  
  
"Maybe they know where she went." Buttercup suggested. Blossom nodded and they floated over to the boys, who just seemed to be taking amongst themselves.  
  
"Have any of you guys seen Bubbles this morning?" Blossom asked. "She wasn't at home, and we haven't seen her all day."  
  
"Sure we did." Butch grumbled darkly. "Beat the crap out of Boomer."  
  
"What!?" Buttercup and Blossom exclaimed in surprise, looking down at Boomer, who was sitting on one of the crossbars.  
  
"She jumped me from behind when I was going for my morning flight..." Boomer told them.  
  
"Jumped you? That's a load of crap!" Buttercup yelled.  
  
"It's true! You should have seen him this morning, when I found him in the living room!" Butch said. "Little bimbo said it was an accident too. Guess you really can't judge a book by its cover." He finished.  
  
"Bubbles wouldn't jump anybody!" Buttercup yelled angrily. "How could you even accuse her of that!?"  
  
"Are you calling my brother a liar!?" Brick shouted, floating up between Buttercup and Boomer.  
  
"DAMN STRAIGHT I AM!" Buttercup yelled in his face.  
  
"Whoa, whoa, okay cool it you guys!" Blossom said, grabbing Buttercup by the arms and pulling her away from the boys. "We should go look for Bubbles, not fight it out."  
  
"Bubbles wouldn't jump an ant that just bit her! She sure as HELL wouldn't jump your dumb brother for ANY reason!" Buttercup screamed furiously as Blossom pulled her away from the boys. Finally Blossom managed to pull her out of earshot and sight of the boys, who'd been glaring at them until they left. "I can't BELIEVE them!"  
  
"We'll worry about them later, but now I'm really worried about Bubbles. We have to find her." Blossom said.  
  
"Where would she go though? She's never disappeared before." Buttercup said, sounding just as worried as her sister.  
  
"If she's anything like me, I think I might know a place..." Blossom said thoughtfully.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Bubbles sobbed into her arms softly, her shoulders shaking with the force of her crying. She hadn't meant to hurt anybody, it'd just happened. She didn't even know how she'd done that, it'd just happened... She hadn't even really wanted to fight him; she'd just wanted to make everyone happy... Why couldn't anything work out like it was supposed to? Why was it going so wrong?...  
  
"Bubbles?" She sniffled again and looked up to see Blossom and Buttercup floating above her. She'd escaped to the City Hall rooftop, where few people ever came. Obviously though, she'd been found out. She sniffled again and buried her teary-eyed face in her arms, not looking up at them.  
  
"Bubbles what happened?" Blossom asked gently as she floated down to sit beside her, putting one hand on her shoulder comfortingly. Buttercup floated down on her other side, taking her other shoulder.  
  
"I... I hurt B... Boomer..." She choked out, not looking up at them.  
  
"Yeah, we heard about that..." Blossom said softly. "But how did it happen? What happened exactly?"  
  
"W... Well I wanted to get him to... Stop hurting Buttercup and Brick so I went to... Talk to him..." Bubbles took a moment to sniffle again, wiping her eyes with the back of one hand. "He said he'd stop if I could... beat him in a fight so I fought him and... and..." She stuttered, beginning to tear up again.  
  
"And what?" Buttercup pressed.  
  
"It was an accident!" Bubbles yelled, crying into her arms again.  
  
"It's okay Bubbles, calm down." Blossom said gently, putting her arms around her sister and hugging her close. Bubbles leaned her head against Blossoms shoulder weakly, shivering.  
  
"I... Something happened and I... Screamed... I hurt him but I didn't mean to, I just wanted everyone to be happy!" She said forcefully, burying her face in Blossoms shoulder.  
  
"I think I should have another talk with Boomer..." Buttercup said smugly. Blossom didn't reply, just holding onto Bubbles and letting her vent, her sobs muffled by the shoulder she'd buried her head in. Before anyone could say anything Buttercup took off from the roof, flying back towards the school. Bubbles didn't take any notice, just leaning into the comfort her sister provided, hoping she never did anything like that again...  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Buttercups mind seethed with anger every second the short flight back to the school took. He'd lied on purpose just to make it look like a girl hadn't beaten him after HE'D challenged her. Her and Brick had had their first fight because of his lie. Worst of all, Bubbles was in tears thinking she'd nearly killed him. This was just too much to bear.  
  
She looked around as she neared the school. Class had already started; thus the playground was totally empty. Instead of slowing down she sped up, plunging straight for the wall of the classroom. She punched through easily in a green streak, shocking everybody to a standing position. She paid no heed to the startled cries and yelps, but instead simply grabbed Boomer as she passed him, plunging out the opposite wall.  
  
"Hey, what are you doing!?" Boomer exclaimed in surprise, waving his arms to escape, not yet realizing he could fight back.  
  
"I want you to admit that you lied about what happened this morning!" Buttercup told him firmly, slamming him into the wall of a building. The impact left a four-foot dent in the wall, as well as pinning Boomer to the spot.  
  
"Lied? I didn't lie about anything!" He told her angrily. "Now let me go!"  
  
"Not until you tell the truth!" Buttercup yelled in his face just as Brick and Butch floated up behind her.  
  
"Buttercup, what do you think you're doing!?" Brick demanded.  
  
"Waiting for this little rat to confess!" Buttercup replied forcefully.  
  
I don't lie." Boomer said firmly, glaring at her angrily. "Now let me go."  
  
"Let him go Buttercup!" Brick said as he and Butch each grabbed one of her arms, dragging her away from their brother.  
  
"Brick, let me go! Bubbles is frantic because of him!" Buttercup said, looking over at him. She didn't see any understanding at all in his eyes.  
  
"Buttercup, I believe Boomer." He said. Buttercup stared at him in disbelief for a few moments before she broke out of the boys grasp, floating away from them backwards.  
  
"That's just fine, you boys go ahead and stick together, we know what REALLY happened." She said, narrowing her eyes at Boomer. "From now on, the Powerpuff Girls have NOTHING to do with the Rowdyruff Boys!" She yelled furiously.  
  
"Fine, go ahead!" Boomer shouted.  
  
"Yeah, who needs you anyway? We boys are a hundred time better!" Butch agreed. Brick said nothing as Buttercup turned away from them to streak back toward the City Hall where Blossom and Bubbles were. She just couldn't believe this, in one morning everything she'd started to have with Brick had been completely shattered. Well, if they wanted to lie like this and hurt Bubbles, she didn't need them either. Nobody could mess with one of the Powerpuff Girls and get away with it scot-free. Not even Brick...  
  
THE END 


	5. 105- The Wheels Of Luck

105- The Wheels of Luck  
  
  
  
Bubbles watched with wide eyes as her sisters fought each other on Marvel VS Capcom 2. The speed they were moving was incredible, as were the combos they got. Of course, nobody had better reflexes than a Powerpuff Girl. They had the speed setting at maximum, so the matches were usually over in under a minute, but the girls enjoyed it thoroughly and just thought of it as a way to get the points to get new characters to kick butt with.  
  
"I wish we could fight like this." Buttercup said softly as her Rogue fell to Blossoms Chun-Li.  
  
"What do you mean? We're superheroes, we beat villains all the time." Blossom reminded her as Buttercups next character jumped in to continue the fight. "Three to a team, just right." She said softly to herself, grinning.  
  
"Well yeah but we don't have fancy moves or anything. We just hit them and they fall over unconscious. We need signature moves." Buttercup replied as her Cyclops fired a Hyper-Optic Blast.  
  
Blossom giggled at this. "Hwell remember that time Bubbles had to wear glasses? She DID do that!" She laughed louder, the other two joining her at the memory. Bubbles eyes had been going bad so the professor had given her a pair of ultra thick glasses to wear to help her out. Buttercup and Blossom had laughed, but when she'd tried to use her eye beams it'd been multiplied a thousand fold. Like putting an ant under a magnifying glass with the sun right beside it.  
  
"Hyeah and I bet we could do other moves too!" Bubbles exclaimed as she hopped off the couch energetically. "Just watch this one!" She jumped up, landing on her hands lightly. Then she spun herself, kicking her legs out into the air as she spun in a perfect emulation of Chun-Li's spinning kick, her hands not even touching the ground since she could fly.  
  
"That's cool!" Buttercup said, putting down the controller and jumping up to join her. Bubbles landed in a perfect copy of the actual move, grinning proudly. "Check this one out!" The brunette Powerpuff said as she jumped into the air, putting one arm up above her head in a flying vertical uppercut. Bubbles and Blossom laughed at this, and Buttercup joined them once she was done.  
  
"Check this out!" Blossom yelled, her upper body going back. She thrust it forward suddenly, breathing ice in a pattern that perfectly matched Dhalsim's yoga flame. Bubbles and Buttercup laughed hysterically, and Blossom joined them in a minute.  
  
"That was PERFECT Blossom!" Buttercup said between bouts of laughter. "We could TOTALLY be those characters!" She exclaimed happily.  
  
"Hey yeah, we could make costumes and be them for today! That'd be fun!" Bubbles said excitedly, jumping up and down and clapping her hands together. "That's a great idea!"  
  
"Okay! We just have to decide who we want to be!" Blossom agreed, also smiling happily.  
  
"Uh-uh, I'm gonna surprise you guys!" Buttercup grinned before streaking into the kitchen.  
  
"Me too! Be right back!" Bubbles said as she streaked up the stairs. She flew into the girls bedroom, closing the door firmly behind her. She needed to find someone cool and appropriate...  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Blossom floated back into the living room. She was the first back. She was wearing a black body suit and had a pair of rags stapled under each arm, and to the back like a semi-cloak. "I am the Storm, fear my arctic winds!" She laughed as she blew a small patch of ice onto the floor.  
  
"Hey cool!" Blossom looked up as Bubbles floated back down the steps. She was wearing a green and yellow dress, obviously her own taped up to look like someone else. She also had a yellow and black towel strapped to her wrists, and tied to her neck.  
  
"Who're you?" Blossom asked curiously.  
  
"I'm Banshee!" She replied, grinning. She opened her mouth and let out a comparatively soft sonic scream to demonstrate. Blossom just laughed, giving her sister a thumbs up as Buttercup emerged from the kitchen. She was dressed the same, but was now wearing a black leather jacket over her dress, with black gloves at the bottom.  
  
"Who're you?" Bubbles and Blossom asked at the same time.  
  
"Isn't it obvious?" Buttercup asked. She suddenly whipped both of her wrists out and three knifes poked through each glove with a soft plunk. "Huh, always sounded cool in the movie... aw well."  
  
"Are you sure you should be playing with those Buttercup?" Bubbles asked worriedly. "We're not supposed to play with sharp objects..."  
  
"They're only butter knives, besides we're not fighting each other or anything. It'll be fine, I'll return them later." Buttercup assured her sisters, smiling to herself and rubbing the knives together with a metallic scraping sound. "Pretty cool through huh? Made the springs myself out of the spare springs for our beds." She said as she carefully pushed the knives back into their holsters on top of her wrists under her gloves.  
  
"Well as long as you're careful with them I guess." Blossom said, smiling. "It is a GREAT costume though Buttercup, but now what?" She asked her sisters. "We need something to do now..."  
  
"Oh how about we save Townsville?" Bubble asked.  
  
"One problem Bubbles, there haven't been any monster attacks in..." Suddenly the phone rang from upstairs, interrupting her. "Over a month..." She finished softly as the phone rang again.  
  
"The hotline!" All three of the girls screamed excitedly, streaking up the stairs. They were all there before the second ring had even ended, even though they hadn't heard it until half way through it. Blossom reached it first and picked up the receiver, talking quickly.  
  
"Where's the monster mayor!?" Blossom asked quickly.  
  
"There's a monster!?" The Mayors voice shouted back in alarm. "Where!?"  
  
"I don't know, that's why I was asking you!" Blossom said.  
  
"Oh no it must be invisible! Aaaahhhhhh!" His voice faded from the line as he ran out of the office. Blossom just held the receiver to her ear confusedly until Miss Bellum finally picked it up.  
  
"Blossom?" She asked.  
  
"Miss Bellum? What happened?" Blossom asked.  
  
"The mayor just wanted to ask if you girls could take his new puppy to the vet for him." Miss Bellum replied.  
  
"Oh..." Blossom said, her voice drooping disappointedly. "So there's no monster?" She said, looking over at her sisters.  
  
"Nuts!" Buttercup exclaimed, kicking Bubbles' Octi across the floor in frustration.  
  
"No... Blossom is everything alright with you girls?" Miss Bellum asked, sounding a bit worried. "You sound like you're having a rough time over there."  
  
"We're fine. There's just nothing to do, no monsters have attacked in ages." Blossom exclaimed, just as frustrated as her brunette sister.  
  
"Well you were never bored at your old house." Miss Bellum said softly.  
  
"That's because the professor was AROUND and... and..." Blossom said, slowing down as she realized what she was saying. Buttercup and Bubbles looked at her as well, both of them looking just as confused as she felt. "It's just... different... I'm sorry..." She said ashamedly. After all Miss Bellum had done for them she shouldn't snap like that.  
  
"No Blossom I'm sorry, I should have realized I couldn't be a mother to you and still be the mayors assistant." Miss Bellum said apologetically. "You girls have been alone too much lately and there's no one to blame but me..."  
  
"You've been a great mother!" Blossom assured her quickly. Bubbles and Buttercup echoed the sentiment, though it was doubtful Miss Bellum could hear them.  
  
"You girls wait there, I'm going to get someone to fill in and come home for the night so we can work something out." Miss Bellum said.  
  
"Well okay... We'll wait here for you." Blossom replied softly.  
  
"I'll be right there." The phone hung up on the other end, leaving only the dial tone to assure Blossom she hadn't just done something wrong. She slowly placed the receiver back on the hook, turning to face the other two girls. They hadn't heard the other side of the conversation, but obviously Blossom's side had been enough to tell them what was going on.  
  
"Why do I suddenly not feel like playing?" Buttercup sighed out as she took off one of her gloves, revealing the small spring-loaded claws she'd made for herself. They consisted of only a little more than duct tape and springs, but they obviously worked well enough.  
  
"I didn't mean to say those things, they just came out." Blossom said, drooping her shoulders and sighing shamefully. "Guess we should just go watch TV until she gets here..." She got no argument from the other two.  
  
So they headed back downstairs, Buttercup taking off her gloves and claws to set them on the small coffee table in front of the couch. They couldn't have been too comfortable to wear. They all sat down on the couch and Blossom turned on the TV with the remote. They just stared blankly as the channels flipped by, a while later they were beginning to wonder what was keeping Miss Bellum when she finally got home.  
  
The girls hopped off the couch and went to greet her as she put her purse next to the door. "Hey..." The girls said softly, looking down at the floor.  
  
"To the couch girls." Miss Bellum said softly. The girls floated obediently back into the living room to sit on the couch. Blossom turned the TV off as they watched Miss Bellum sit on the chair off to one side. "We need to have a little talk."  
  
"I'm sorry about what I said, please don't be angry or sad..." Blossom said.  
  
"I'm not angry at you girls Blossom, I'm angry at myself for neglecting you like I have been..." Miss Bellum told them gently. "I guess I forgot that even though you are superheroes, you're still just little girls and need constant attention... More than I can provide... So I found you a new home."  
  
"What!?" the girls echoed each other perfectly in their surprise. "Who!?"  
  
"Someone who can keep an eye on you, and help you any time you need her." Miss Bellum replied as the front door opened, almost like it was cued to happen that way. Miss Keane walked into the living room, smiling at the girls reassuringly.  
  
"Miss Keane?" The girls asked softly.  
  
"If you'll have me." Miss Keane told them. The girls just stared at her for a few moments; their eyes wide open. Suddenly the hotline rang in the girls' room, but none of them could move to go get it.  
  
"Um... You girls might want to answer that." Miss Bellum told them gently. Bubbles and Buttercup looked between them at Blossom, who in that instant regretted being the leader and the one who almost always answered the phone.  
  
Blossom floated up the stairs after the phone while the other two Powerpuff Girls just looked between the two women in front of them almost blankly. After a few minutes she streaked back down, chattering excitedly.  
  
"We've got a monster girls! Let's get going!" She said. The girls sighed almost with relief at the interruption, this had been getting too intense for any of their tastes. "Um, you don't mind if..." Blossom began, looking at the two adults.  
  
"Go right ahead, it's your responsibility." Miss Keane told them reassuringly. So the girls turned to streak out the window, except for Buttercup who halted just before they left the house for some reason neither of the other girls could fathom.  
  
"Should we wait for Buttercup?" Bubbles asked, looking back at the house.  
  
"She'll have to catch up, Townsville needs us!" Blossom told her sister. She wouldn't admit it, but it felt really good to say that again after such a long vacation. She'd actually missed being a superhero after the battle with Him had scared off most of the villains; maybe things would start getting back to normal around here.  
  
They finally reached the edge of the city, where a monster the likes of which neither girl had seen before was destroying every building in site. It looked vaguely shaped like a fifty-foot man, but its limbs stretched and bobbed like it didn't even have a skeleton, and it had tentacles stretching from nearly every part of its body. Its face was little more than a pair of dark pulsing red eyes attached to the thin strip that served as its head.  
  
"Be careful Bubbles, this one looks like trouble!" Blossom warned her sister as they neared. "Scramble and attack!" She yelled out. Each girl went a separate direction, their streaks of light bobbing through the mass of tentacles, barely avoiding them all. Blossom took a mighty swing at one tentacle, but it simply bent and stretched at impact, snapping back moments later like any rubber band. The force of the whip sent her slamming into the cement sidewalk.  
  
Bubbles fired a heat blast from her eyes, aiming for one of the tentacles in front of her. The tentacle bent into an unnatural position to avoid it before snapping back into its former state, unscathed. Then the monster struck back, wrapping several tentacles around her, covering her completely.  
  
"Bubbles!" Blossom screamed as she heard her sisters muffled cries coming from the writing mass of tentacles. She took off from the sidewalk again, heading straight at the monster. She inhaled deeply, sending a spray of sub-zero breath at the monster wherever she could. The monster bent itself completely out of shape to avoid the spurts of cold until it finally managed to catch her with one tentacle, flinging her into the side of a building with a thunderous crunch as the wall gave way.  
  
Bubbles muffled cries still rang through the air as Blossom pulled herself up to the hole in the wall, leaning against it in a daze. "Bubbles..." She said softly, staring at the monster. There had to be a way to beat it, she just had to find it. How do you snap a moving rubber band that doesn't want to be snapped?  
  
Without warning a green streak of light flew past the hole, aiming straight at the monster. "Buttercup!" Blossom exclaimed as her sister neared the sinuous monster. She couldn't help but notice Buttercup had her black gloves back on.  
  
"Come on Gumby!" Buttercup yelled as she snapped her wrists out. Three butcher knives popped out of each glove, each blade almost a third as long as she was tall. "Let's play!" She yelled challengingly. She finally reached where the monster still had Bubbles. The knives easily sliced through the monsters flesh, freeing Bubbles immediately.  
  
Bubbles gulped in the air greedily as she floated weakly away from the monster to land in the same hold blossom had been thrown into.  
  
"Are you okay Bubbles?" Blossom asked worriedly.  
  
"Couldn't breathe in their... but I'll be okay." Bubbles replied.  
  
"You rest here, me and Buttercup can handle it now that we know how." Blossom then got up and walked over to a display case with a pair of swords hanging in it. It was obviously just to look at, but the swords did look sharp. She could just borrow one, defeat the monster, and return it without anyone knowing the difference.   
  
She floated up to the case and took out one of the swords, hefting it to check out its balance. It was longer than she was tall, but with her strength she would be able to handle it fairly easily. She flew back out the hole in the wall as fast as she could, rushing to join Buttercup in her fight with the monster.  
  
Buttercup was fast, and hacking off tentacles as fast as she could, but there were dozens upon dozens of the things and she wouldn't be able to keep up such a frantic pace long enough to get them all before they got her. Blossom streaked into the fray like a crimson laser, swinging her sword with as much force as she possibly could. It took off four of the tentacles in one swing, but twice as many returned to take its place once the stroke was finished.  
  
The battle raged furiously with the two girls grunting more and more as it wore on. Buttercup was doing well enough, but Blossom, though strong enough to wield the sword, was hardly an expert and didn't know how to use it very well. Blossom began to wonder if this thing was re-growing infinite tentacles even as their number began to thin, showing that they were actually getting somewhere in this fight.  
  
Finally they'd taken out every last tentacle, both of them panting heavily as the monster looked down at all of its severed appendages, then up at them angrily. "Enough of you!" Buttercup screamed as she shot forward in a green pinprick of light. The butcher knives seemed to leave a silver trail behind them as they sliced through the air, cutting through the creatures neck easily.  
  
Its entire body seemed to fold in on itself as it collapsed to the ground, looking like little more than an excessively large rubber band now that it wasn't moving. Blossom let the sword fall to the ground far below while Buttercup carefully pushed the blades back into their holders on her wrists. They were both panting, but the brunette Powerpuff was grinning as well.  
  
"That was nice... Haven't fought like that in a long time." Buttercup said as she pushed the last knife back into place. Blossom wouldn't admit it, but she had to agree. It was kind of nice to be doing something constructive for Townsville again. They both looked over at bubbles floated up to join them, sighing and looking down.  
  
"I couldn't help..." She whined, pouting cutely.  
  
"Don't worry about it Bubbles, it wasn't your fault. You were too weak to fight after that suffocation. You can help us next time." Blossom assured her sister, putting one comforting arm around her shoulders.  
  
"Yeah Bubbles, there'll be other chances to save Townsville. After all, you'll always be a Powerpuff Girl, right?" Buttercup asked slyly.  
  
Yeah of course!" Bubbles exclaimed, perking up somewhat. For a few moments the girls just floated there above the remains of the monster, Blossom and Buttercup regaining their breath while Bubbles just talked to them energetically about how she was gonna help them next time.  
  
After they'd regained their breath the girls flew back to Miss Bellums house as slowly as they could. They weren't too eager to get back to the discussion they'd been having before the monster call, but they knew they'd have to get it over with eventually.  
  
They reached the house in all too short a time and landed just outside, looking up and sighing in unison before the ventured inside. Miss Bellum and Miss Keane were waiting for them patiently as they entered.  
  
"Ah girls, you're back. Did you beat the monster?" Miss Keane asked politely.  
  
"Yeah..." The girls replied softly.  
  
"I know this seems a little much considering all the changes you've already had to go through lately, but it's for the best." Miss Bellum told them as she recognized the tone of their voices.  
  
"Well..." Blossom said thoughtfully, looking back and forth between the two women. She wasn't really sure who they should go with, but realized that maybe Miss Bellum didn't want them around there. She'd had to cut work at the mayors office to come home because they'd been whining, she was getting sick of them. "Alright... We'll go with Miss Keane..." Blossom said softly.  
  
"Don't worry girls, I'll take excellent care of you." Miss Keane said as she smiled reassuringly. "You can talk to me about anything you need to."  
  
"Alright..." The girls replied, sounding a bit unsure about the whole thing. They'd already agreed to it though, so they had to go through with it.  
  
"We'll worry about your things tomorrow after school, so you're free to get to sleep tonight." Miss Keane told them.  
  
"Okay." The girls said at once as they floated up the stairs to the bedroom. When they got to their room the closed the door behind them. None of them really said anything as they got out of their costumes, sliding their nightgowns on solemnly. Tomorrow they'd move again, but maybe it would be for the best like Miss Bellum was saying. She thought Miss Keane might make a good mother but... she just didn't like being traded off... She supposed she'd get used to it though.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Miss Keane looked around the small classroom at the crowd of kids gathered for the days lessons. They always grumbled a little bit when class first started, but she made sure they didn't echo the sentiment throughout the day as she made the assignments more and more interesting for them. Her gaze kept wandering over to the Powerpuff Girls huddled around the days assignments. She'd always wanted a daughter, and three would surely be a joy, but she couldn't help but get the feeling something was bothering them. Their gazes kept flicking toward the Rowdyruff Boys, huddled around their own project on the other side of the room. She also couldn't help noticing the black gloves Buttercup now wore constantly, that might be a bad sign.  
  
She made a mental note to ask them about that during recess before she walked over to Princess Morebucks, who was sitting in a lawn chair she'd dragged in for just such a purpose while her butlers worked on her assignment. Miss Keane knew the girl grew up in an environment where she had everything, but she had to do SOME work around here occasionally.  
  
"Just what are you dong little miss?" Miss Keane asked the girl scathingly. She just looked up at her, sipping at the Hawaiian punch from a coconut that was likely bought in Hawaii itself.  
  
"Doing my schoolwork, what does it look like?" She shot back as snootily as ever. "Like, duh, what else would I do in school?" Miss Keane frowned her disapproval even as a laugh sounded from a far corner of the room. She shot a glance in that direction and saw Boomer trying to stop himself before she could see him.  
  
She looked back down at Princess and caught her giving the boy a mischievous grin and a thumbs up. "Now when you're in this class you do work like everybody else, do you see anybody else with butlers?" Miss Keane asked.  
  
"They WOULD have butlers if they were smart enough, they're really handy." Princess replied, drawing another chuckle from Boomer. Miss Keane shot him a quick look, silencing him on the spot.  
  
"No butlers." Miss Keane said firmly, shooing the two men out of the building as fast as she could. This drew a protest from Princess, but the teacher just raised a hand to silence her. "Get to work Princess, I mean it!" The freckled girl grumbled darkly, something about buying the school and having her fired, as she started fumbling with the pieces of her project.  
  
Miss Keane nodded with satisfaction as she turned to look over the others kids progress. Most of them had stopped to watch Princess get berated, kids loved it when other kids got in trouble, but a few had kept working and were almost finished. She decided she'd let those that got done first leave early for recess for having the diligence to keep working.  
  
As she passed by she noticed the Rowdyruff Boys talking softly amongst themselves, only sticking a piece or two on their projects to look like they were working. She didn't quite trust the boys, but she couldn't turn a kid away from a good education just because they bore the same names as the old Rowdyruff Boys. They'd shown no real signs of being anything like them aside from just the normal angst of boys their age.  
  
She checked other projects in various stages of completion as she made her way back up to the head of the class. From behind her Princess' voice cried out tauntingly. "I'm done." She turned to look back at the girl, along with the rest of the class. Indeed, her project was completed and looking pretty good. It was obvious she hadn't finished so quickly, but she had no idea how the girl could have done it. It'd been a surprise project; she couldn't have brought in an already completed one.  
  
"Alright, Princess, you can go out to recess." Miss Keane told her, trying not to smirk too obviously. For all she knew the girl HAD done it fair and square, some kids just worked faster than others. It was almost time for her to let the class out for lunch anyway.  
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Princess Morebucks walked over to the small picnic table in the center of the playground, reaching into one of the pockets of her dress. She pushed a small button signaling that she was ready for lunch to be brought to her. While she waited for her meal to be delivered she looked around at the grass covering the small playground.  
  
She looked over curiously as one of the boys from her class walked up to her, his blond hair reflecting the afternoon light almost like a disco ball. She smirked at him; she couldn't even remember his name. Aw well, who needed to? He was just another kid to her.  
  
"Hey, I thought that was pretty funny what you did in there." He told her, smiling politely. She blinked, finally recognizing him as the boy who'd been chuckling when she'd confronted Miss Keane.  
  
"Great, glad you were amused." Princess remarked sarcastically. Hopefully the boy would take the hint and go away.  
  
Alas, he didn't seem to know the meaning of the word sarcasm. "Hyeah..." He said softly, holding out one hand. "I'm Boomer." He told her. She stared at him a moment, puzzled. She recognized the name from somewhere, but she couldn't place it.  
  
"Boomer... do I know you from somewhere?" She asked him.  
  
"Well maybe, I'm one of the Rowdyruff Boys. We just started coming to school recently." He told her. The Rowdyruff Boys!? Her heart nearly skipped a beat when she heard that. She'd never been accepted into the Powerprissy Girls, but maybe if she could get in good with the Rowdyruff Boys... She could be a Rowdyruff Girl and finally get even with those stupid Powerpuff Girls!  
  
"Really? I remember hearing a lot about you!" She told him, smiling the most charming smile she could manage. "I heard about how those stupid Powerpuff girls beat you."  
  
"Well we don't remember that, those were different boys I think... It's a long story." Boomer replied, smirking. "Though I don't much like them either."  
  
"Really?" Princess said happily. "Me neither! Those stupid girls think they know everything! They're always right because they're The Powerpuff girls." She said mockingly. Boomer laughed at her imitation.  
  
"Hyeah that's pretty much them. Everyone except them is a stupid prick." He said just as mockingly.  
  
"Hi, I'm Bubbles with the brain of a brick, but the body of a goddess so I'm still the coolest!" Princess said, mimicking Bubble's high-pitched voice. Boomer laughed again, holding his stomach.  
  
"Hyeah that's TOTALLY how they think!" Boomer exclaimed.  
  
"I've ALWAYS wanted to get back at those Powerpuff girls for rejecting me! But I couldn't... until now." She said, smiling at him slyly. "With my brains, beauty, money, and general perfection coupled with your strength, there's no way we could lose!" Princess told him.  
  
"Lose? You mean fight the Powerpuff Girls? I'm not sure Brick'd go for that..." Boomer replied unsurely.  
  
"He doesn't say what you do, YOU do!" Princess told him. "Unless you're just another follower without a mind of your own."  
  
"I have a mind of my own!" Boomer retorted.  
  
"Then use it!" Princess told him, holding out one hand to him. "Together we could teach those girls a lesson in being humble around those who are clearly superior to them!"  
  
Boomer looked down at her hand for a few moments, thinking it all over. Finally he nodded his head slowly, taking her hand in agreement. "Alright, we can do this! It's for Bricks own good that we get rid of those girls. He hasn't been himself at all since that little scuffle."  
  
"Yes!" Princess yelled, standing up on the bench. "And when we're done! Those Powerpuff Girls won't be a problem to ANYBODY!" She laughed insanely, Boomer watching her curiously the whole time. She was weird, but he kind of liked her style. She knew what she wanted, and she knew how to get it.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"Girls, can you hold on a minute?" the Powerpuff Girls halted on their way out of the classroom when Miss Keane's voice caught up to them from behind. They watched the rest of the class file out of the room before walking over to join their teacher at the desk. "Did something happen with the Rowdyruff Boys? I couldn't help noticing you staring at them all day."  
  
"It's a long story." Buttercup replied, obviously not too eager to talk about it. The other girls didn't seem any more willing to discuss it.  
  
"You know you girls can talk to me about anything right?" Miss Keane asked. "Whenever you need to talk."  
  
"We know, thanks." Blossom assured her, smiling up at her to show they weren't mad at her or anything.  
  
"Well I'll see you girls after recess. Then after school we can work on getting you settled into your new room. You'll love it, it's a lot bigger than the one you have now." She assured them.  
  
"Great, we look forward to it!" Bubbles said, smiling happily. Miss Keane couldn't tell if the smile was genuine, but liked to think it was anyway.  
  
"Well you girls go play now. Have fun." Miss Keane told them. They nodded and smiled one more time before turning and heading out into the playground with the rest of the kids.  
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Boomer floated up to the Morebucks mansion slowly, looking up at it. It looked like it reached straight into the clouds overhead. He could check that out, but decided it was best not to know, added to the mystery of places like this, and he had a feeling Princess liked keeping her gusts guessing.  
  
She'd told him to meet her here after school so they could plan their revenge on the Powerpuff Girls, even though he'd insisted he'd rather do it at the arcade or something. Aw well, he guessed girls always had to meet in private places, it just seemed like their way of doing things.  
  
He floated up to knock on one of the great double doors that made up the entrance to the mansion. The boom that echoed on the other side was thunderous, drowning out even the wildlife outside for a moment.  
  
He had to wait a few minutes until the doors finally opened, revealing a butler standing on the other side. "Ah, Princess has been expecting you sir." The butler said, moving aside so Boomer could float past him. This all seemed kind of pointless to him, but he'd let her have her little ways of doing things.  
  
He couldn't help but be impressed with the way the very walls were furnished as he followed the butler down the hall. It was obvious that simply looking at this house would probably cost thousands, living here probably cost more than the entire city of Townsville made in a year.  
  
Finally he reached what looked almost like a throne room, but was actually Princess' bedroom. The excessively fluffy bed sat at the very top of a ten-stair climb, with all of her clothes hanging in the closet on the other side. A red carpet led up the steps to the bed itself, where Princess was lying on the bed on her side, watching him lazily. Not a care in the world.  
  
Boomer folded his arms across his chest when he noticed her wearing what almost looked like a real princess' robes. "Aren't you taking this richest girl in the world theme a bit too far?" He asked her ironically.  
  
"If you got it, flaunt it." She replied, sitting up and pushing aside the little curtain that hung between them. "And I've got it in droves, money that is." She said as she stood up, winking at him.  
  
He couldn't help but be a bit curious about the way she was acting. She was hardly pretty; in fact she looked rather like a pig with the Chicken Pox, so if she was trying to seduce him into helping her she was in for a major disappointment. Still, he did kind of like her attitude so far, and if she could make good on helping him get rid of the Powerpuff Girls...  
  
"So, you got a plan to get this done?" He asked, deciding to get right to the point instead of playing her little games.  
  
She replied, unfazed by his seeming disinterest in her. "I have some equipment that can make me almost as strong as the Powerpuff Girls." She said.  
  
"Great, and that helps me how?" He said.  
  
"Well if it makes me ALMOST as strong what if someone used it who was... say... already as strong as them... wouldn't he be..." She trailed off, grinning at him slyly.  
  
"TWICE as strong as them!" Boomer realized, grinning back. "I like it!"  
  
"Right. Your strength with my strength enhancing equipment would make you more than a match for any Powerpuff Girl." Princess grinned, walking up to him and tapping his chest with one finger. "You just have to get them alone."  
  
"I can do that." Boomer replied, smiling at her. "It's as easy as playing cat and mouse." He told her. He was really pleased with the way things were going.  
  
"Well then let's get you suited up." Princess said, turning to head out of the bedroom. He turned to follow her, raising one fist and looking at it. He knew which girl he wanted to take out first, Buttercup. It was her fault the whole thing had happened; she'd seduced his brother. Now it was time to pay the consequences.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Buttercup sighed as her sisters each hefted a pile of boxes off the floor. They'd been moving stuff ever since they'd gotten out of school. All their old stuff had been lost with the old house save for a few personal items, such as Bubbles' Octi, but they'd quickly accumulated another stash of things. It was really kind of amazing how fast that'd happened.  
  
"Just a few more loads girls, then we're done." Blossom said encouragingly, taking her role as leader and inspirer as seriously as ever. Miss Keane was already at their new house, setting up their stuff as they brought it. They took the stuff, she put it all in order, it was all in all a nice trade off.  
  
She watched as her sisters streaked out the window with their individual loads. She allowed herself a small sigh as she kneeled down to pick up her own load of boxes. She'd done bigger feats of strength before, but she'd never had to keep up this pace for this long. It was quite a different experience, one she didn't care to repeat.  
  
She floated slowly out the window after her sisters, being careful about the balance of the boxes. She started off toward Miss Keane's house before suddenly something slammed into her from behind, carrying her toward the ground in under a second. She plunged through the ground, breaking down into Miss Bellum's basement.  
  
She slammed into the cement basement ground hard, her entire body wracked by pain. It felt like she'd just been in the middle of two bullet trains that collided head on. She groaned painfully and sat up, looking up at the hole in the basement roof to get a look at her assailant.  
  
Boomer floated down through it, grinning at her darkly. He was wearing some kind of metallic body armor that seemed to pulse a soft blue from the power running through it.  
  
"Boomer... What do you think you're doing!?" Buttercup demanded as she got to her feet, glaring up at him angrily. "I created you to be a GOOD Rowdyruff Boy!" She yelled up at him.  
  
"I am being good, you're the one who's done the damage this time Buttercup!" Boomer shouted back, slamming his fists together in front of him. "And it's time to pay for it!"  
  
"Whatever! I can take you! Come on!" Buttercup howled as she streaked toward him. He flew at her as well at full speed. She growled angrily deep in her throat as they neared each other.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"Where is she?" Bubbles asked, looking out the window for any sign of Buttercup. Last she'd seen she'd been right behind them.  
  
"Knowing her she's probably wandered off somewhere, she'll probably get back later. Come on Bubbles, we have to help Miss Keane move the bed and dressers." Blossom told her blond sister.   
  
"Oh alright." Bubbles replied, moving to help her sister move the bed into position.  
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Buttercup grunted loudly as her body impacted against the cement wall of the basement, digging a five-foot dent into it. She could feel her entire body beginning to shake after just two blows from him, she didn't know how much more she could take, how did he get so strong?  
  
She pushed herself away from the wall, raising her fists in front of her weakly as he floated over to her calmly. She lunged suddenly, slamming one fist as hard as she could into his face. He flew backwards on impact, but managed to stop himself well before he hit the wall. Without missing a beat he lunged at her again, punching her hard in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her.  
  
He thrust his arm upward, holding onto her blouse. She was hurled through the air behind him to slam into the far wall again, hanging upside down in the impact crater made by her body. Wearily she pushed herself off the wall, barely managing to stay afloat in the air as she righted herself.  
  
She managed to force herself to streak forward, raising her fists angrily. They struck him wherever they could in a flurry of punches and uppercuts. She ended the barrage with the strongest kick she could muster, sending him slamming into the cement floor with a tremendous impact.  
  
She floated down toward him slowly, keeping her guard up as she approached him wearily. Without warning he lunged back up at her, bringing his own fists to bear. She tried desperately to block the hits as his barrage of punches flew over her entire body.  
  
Pain surged through her entire body in a steady rhythm, in time with his fists slamming into her. Finally his barrage stopped for a moment, giving her time to just float in the air, trying to clear the red haze from her vision. Something slammed into her stomach, carrying her back like a bullet and slamming her into the wall.  
  
His fists closed about her neck as she struggled against him, grabbing his wrists and trying to pull them off of her. She could feel the metal armor encasing his arms as she tried to move him, and when she struggled the armor whirred a bit louder, the settled down when she didn't struggle. That had to be what was making him so strong!  
  
She let go of his arms along enough to flick her wrists out, sending the butcher knives piercing through the black leather gloves. Boomer gave a startled gasp when he saw them, but he was too late to do anything about it. Normally a knife could never hope to slice through steel armor, but even a butter knife could pierce it with the force of a Powerpuff Girl behind it.  
  
She thrust her claws upward, slicing easily through the steel of Boomer's electronic gauntlets. They flew off of him in a shower of sparks, falling to the ground. He pulled back in surprise, but she pressed the attack, slashing him across the legs and chest as much as she could. Sparks flew from all over his suit, the electricity beginning to run through him as well.  
  
She let out an enraged howl as she whirled; flinging her foot out in one of the strongest kicks she'd ever felt herself deliver. He flew through the air, slamming into the backup power generator Miss Bellum kept in case the power went out, as it was linked to her house as well as City Hall.  
  
She watched as the circuitry of his suit flowed with the power of the generator, surging through him and almost making his whole body glow with a white surge of light. He let out a hideous scream as the power ripped through him, his suit exploding even as he still wore it.  
  
She thought to get him out of there, to help him, but she found she couldn't as she just watched him, the power literally tearing him apart from the inside out. Without warning something flew in through the gaping hole in the cement roof overhead, almost looking like a small jet...  
  
No, she recognized it as... Princess' jetpack? What was it doing here? She watched curiously as a small compartment opened in the pack, firing a hook to grab Boomer. It flew back out of the entrance just as quickly as it'd come, dragging an unconscious Boomer behind it. Buttercup followed it out of the hole, but landed on her knees when she got outside. She just couldn't follow it right now; she was in too much pain.  
  
She could only watch it fly out of sight, falling to her knees on the grass in front of Miss Bellum's house and panting heavily. She was a proud girl, and knew she was strong, but she also knew she'd gotten extremely lucky she'd decided to keep her claws. If she hadn't had them then she likely would have lost that fight...  
  
She just didn't expect one of the Rowdyruff Boys to outright attack her like that. She knew they were mad at her, and she was mad at them, but she didn't think it'd come to this again.  
  
"Buttercup! What happened!?" Buttercup looked up and saw her sisters approaching, worried expressions on their faces. She must look awful after that fight, and if there's one thing she hated it was looking awful. Well she'd just stand up, shrug her pain off, and greet them like nothing had happened.  
  
It was a good plan, but her body obviously disagreed since instead of climbing nonchalantly to her feet, she fell unconscious right there on the grass as the adrenaline of the battle wore out of her system.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"Are you okay?" Princess' voice rang in Boomers ears as he struggled to sit up, but his body felt completely drained, like someone had sucked the power right out of him. He opened his eyes halfway, about the only movement he could muster at the moment. She stood over him, looking down at him smugly. "Well you failed, but at least I know the armor works right." She said. "Need to order more."  
  
He growled deep in his throat and forced himself up to a sitting position so he could look her in the eyes. "I'll get her next time..." He said softly, since his voice still wasn't working too well.  
  
"You'd better." Princess replied. "I don't make a habit of giving things to people for nothing in return."  
  
"Don't worry about it." Boomer said, smirking at her. "I don't make a habit of going back on what I said I'd do..." He replied.  
  
"Good!" Princess said. "So until you DO get rid of the Powerpuff Girls, you are MINE!" Boomers eyes narrowed dangerously at this, but technically it was true. She gave him the suit, and he gave her the girls, that was the deal. He'd lost the suit, and hadn't paid for it yet. It didn't free him from his responsibility though; he had to keep his side of the bargain... No matter what it meant he had to do...  
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"Boomer did WHAT!?" Butch exclaimed incredulously as Blossom tried to tell him and Brick about what Buttercup had told them happened at Miss Bellums. "No way! You are a little liar is what you are. We can't believe a word you say!" He continued.  
  
"Then where is Boomer huh?" Blossom retorted, getting fed up with this attitude of theirs. "Show me where he is now! I bet you he's collapsed somewhere from the fight!"  
  
"If he's collapsed it's because YOU girls beat him up! It doesn't prove he attacked anybody!" Butch countered.  
  
"Go talk to Buttercup!" Blossom yelled, turning to Brick. "Go talk to her and you tell me if you still think Boomer's innocent in all of this!" She fairly screamed out. Brick just stared at her thoughtfully, his gaze almost eerily calm considering the rampant feelings of everyone else in the room.  
  
"Fine." Brick replied, nodding his head slightly. "I'll talk to her." Blossom sighed with relief while Butch gave a cry of protest. "I'll only be a few minutes..." He said before turning and heading for the door tot he girls bedroom. He opened it to find Bubbles putting a wet rag on Buttercups forehead.  
  
"Hm?" Bubbles said as she looked back to see who'd come in. "Oh, Brick... I'll wait out there... Just keep the rag on her head, Miss Keane's orders." Bubbles said, smiling lightly at him. He nodded his head and smiled back as she left, closing the door behind her.  
  
"Brick?" Buttercup asked, turning her head to look at him and causing the rag to drop to her pillow. He walked over to place it gently back on her forehead. "What are you doing here?" She asked.  
  
"I had to come make sure you were okay." He said. "Us Chemical Xers have to stick by each other, no matter how mad we get, right?" He asked slyly. She smiled back and nodded her head gently.  
  
"Glad you came... Where's Boomer?" she asked him.  
  
"That was one thing I wanted to talk to you about..." He told her. "Blossom said he was the one who did this to you..."  
  
"He is..." She replied, nodding to make sure she got her point across. "I think he was working with Princess though... He was wearing some weird armor stuff... and her jetpack carried him off."  
  
Brick plopped down on the chair that'd been set up beside the bed. She turned her head to look at him and he put the rag back on her forehead as the movement knocked it off. "I can't believe Boomer would do something like that." He said. Buttercup smirked at this; obviously thinking the bruises clearly visible on her face, and which likely ran the length of her body, were proof enough.  
  
"Well you'd better... Because you're not going to help anybody by ignoring evil just because it's family. And isn't that what Rowdyruffs do now? Help people?" Buttercup pointed out. Brick looked up at her curiously, then nodded slightly.  
  
He looked down at her neck, moving the blanket aside to reveal the black leather jacket. "New look?" He asked, smiling. He was obviously just trying to change the subject, but it was a welcome change to both of them.  
  
She smiled back at him, chuckling to herself. "Yeah, I think I like it." She replied.  
  
"Me too..." Brick replied. Suddenly he leaned down and kissed her on the lips gently. She didn't move, just kissed him back until he pulled back up to a sitting position.  
  
"Does that mean you believe me?" Buttercup asked.  
  
"How could I not? You wouldn't go this far to trick me." He said, placing one hand gently on her bruised cheek.  
  
"I wouldn't trick you at all." Buttercup replied seriously, looking up at his eyes. Brick just smiled back, pushing down on the wet rag on her forehead. The water from it trickled down her face and into her hair.  
  
"I know that." He replied, kissing her cheek gently where one of the drips of water had stopped. "You go ahead and rest up... Me and Butch will go find Boomer. We should have a talk with him."  
  
"Alright." Buttercup replied, settling down into her bed snugly while he turned to leave. This was a total switch for her, she knew she would never have let someone else handle stuff like this before. But for some reason, as long as it was Brick handling it she was comfortable with it. She trusted him more than anybody, even if he hadn't believed her before. Now if only she could get better, maybe they could have something again like they'd started to...  
  
THE END 


	6. 106- Cherry Blossom

106- Cherry Blossom  
  
  
It'd been a whole week and there was still no sign of Boomer or Princess after the attack. It was almost like they'd both just fallen off the edge of the world. If Brick hadn't already believed Buttercup, then this disappearance would have been proof enough. Him and Butch had been training alongside the Powerpuff Girls, though he knew Blossom and Bubbles would rather do anything but train with his dark haired brother. Of course the feeling was mutual, but that was why they did it in the first place.  
  
He couldn't help but feel a bit worried about his brother, no matter what he'd done. Where could he have just gone without any warning? Knowing Princess Morebucks they just might have hopped a flight to Aruba or something to get away from them. Why would he follow her though? It didn't make sense, why would he make a deal with that arrogant, stuck up little pig?  
  
He gave a small sigh, his breath fogging up as the Winter chill began to replace the Autumn. Luckily enough he'd waited until the very end of the school year to vanish, so he'd still passed. Now if only he'd get his butt back to Townsville so they could do something fun. He was getting tired of being worried. He just wanted to forget any troubles he had.  
  
He could feel the wind rustling as Buttercup snuck up behind him. Speaking of forgetting trouble, one of the only times he could do that was when he was with her. She always seemed to show up at just the right time too, he was really getting to like having a girlfriend, and ever since the attack him and the brunette Powerpuff had actually gotten closer than ever.  
  
He waited for her to spring on his back, straddling him like a horse from behind and putting her hands over his eyes. "Guess who!" She exclaimed, raising her voice up as high as it could go to throw him off. He smiled lightly to himself. Her weight didn't affect him at all; of course she was rather thing, but still he'd expected more.  
  
"Now Bubbles, you know we shouldn't do anything until the weekends." Brick said jokingly. Suddenly the hands moved and they slammed down on top of his head, bowling him forward as she floated off his back. "I was joking! Come on!" He laughed, rubbing the top of his head and turning to face her.  
  
"NOT funny!" Buttercup said, frowning and crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
"Oh come on Buttercup." Brick pleaded, walking up to her and putting his hands on her shoulders. "I was just joking, I don't like Bubbles at all. That blond haired blue eyed innocent look works for most boys..." He began, pausing to think of some way to finish what he'd been saying. Obviously he paused too long for Buttercup's tastes.  
  
"But?" Buttercup asked venomously, glaring at him under lowered eyelashes.  
  
"But I prefer the brunette, green eyed tough girl that helped me out of that pot." Brick finished, knowing it sounded lame. Well he'd never claimed to be a poet or anything.  
  
"Gee creative save Romeo." Buttercup said sarcastically, smirking. She did relax somewhat though. He grabbed her and pulled her into a gentle hug, wrapping her up in his arms.  
  
"Aw come on, you know I wouldn't touch another girl. You'd hurt me too much." Brick assured her, rubbing her back gently. She still had the black leather jacket, but thankfully she'd taken off the gloves, which meant her claws were gone as well.  
  
"You know I would." Buttercup said more calmly, leaning her cheek against his shoulder and putting her arms around his waist. "Kick your butt straight to the moon..." She said. Her breath felt warm against his cheek.  
  
"Well you'll never have to." He assured her softly, swaying gently with her leaning against him. She felt warm up against his body like this, a stark contrast to the growing cold of winter.  
  
They stayed that way for a long time, just holding each other gently in the growing cold of winter. At the moment he didn't care where Boomer was, didn't care about Butch and the other girls. For the moment he didn't have a care in the world, and he loved the feeling.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Blossom watched the pair through the small window in the attic, her chin resting on her cupped hand, her elbows against the windowsill. Suddenly she really wanted to know what it was like to hold someone like that. Not really doing anything; just being happy simply holding onto each other like that. Why was Buttercup the first of the girls to get a boyfriend anyway? Bubbles and Blossom were a lot friendlier...  
  
Aw well, she really should be happy for her sister, and she was. She just wished she could have that too... was that wrong to want? She didn't think so; the only problem with it was that she didn't know who she liked that way. She hated Butch and the rest of her class she just didn't like that way. Aw well, maybe she'd find someone eventually...  
  
She whirled when she heard the hotline in her bedroom. She shot a quick glance out the window where Buttercup and Brick were oblivious to the phone before streaking down to answer it. "Yes mayor?" She asked quickly.  
  
"Blossom! The banks being robbed!" The mayors voice said.  
  
"By who!? Mojo Jojo? The Gangrene Gang!?" Blosom asked.  
  
"Nobody!" The mayor replied. Blossom blinked in confusion at this response.  
  
"So the bank's NOT being robbed?" She asked.  
  
"No it is being robbed! And we need your help!" The mayor told her urgently.  
  
"But you just said nobody was robbing the bank!" Blossom complained.  
  
"That's right!" The mayor told her.  
  
"Fine fine I'll be right there." Blossom said, hanging up. She figured she should at least go see what on Earth he was talking about. She didn't really need the other girls just for this; besides, Buttercup was otherwise occupied at the moment. So she took off out the window, flying to the bank as fast as she could, leaving a crimson light trail behind her.  
  
When she reached the bank she found... ta-da, nobody there. There were several holes in the side of the wall, and half the money was gone from the safe, but there didn't look to be any thieves around. The police looked completely stumped, but she decided to have a look around anyway.  
  
She floated up to the roof, looking around cautiously. The thief couldn't have left the building without being seen, so that meant he was probably hiding out. What was the last place the police would think to look for a thief? The roof of course.  
  
She floated down to land on the cement roof, looking around cautiously. She didn't see anyone; even her X-ray vision revealed nobody hiding on the roof anywhere. It was like there was just... nobody there. She put her hands on her hips curiously, starting to walk forward.  
  
Suddenly something leapt out at her, slamming into her with tremendous force. She slammed into the side of the roof, grunting painfully from the force of the impact. She growled viciously and stood up, facing her foe.  
  
She gasped in surprise when she saw who she was facing... it was Blossom. Her hair was a deeper red, and her dress was almost the color of a cherry, but its face was undeniably Blossoms.  
  
"Who are you?" Blossom demanded, raising her fists.  
  
"I'm Blossom of the Powerpuff Girls!" The imposter said, raising her own fists in front of her. "And in the name of the moon... I will punish you!" She said, striking a pose with one hand pointing at Blossom, her body facing to the side.  
  
"Wrong heroine dummy!" Blossom yelled. "Anyway, you're not Blossom! I'm Blossom! So who are you REALLY?" She asked.  
  
"I'll show you I'm Blossom!" The imposter howled, throwing herself at Blossom. She slammed into the Powerpuff Girl hard, throwing them both off of the building. Blossom simply shoved her away, floating and firing her eye beams at the imposter. She dodged nimbly, floating in the air as well.  
  
The Blossoms lunged at each other as the spectators watched from the ground in confusion. They fought in a flurry of punches and kicks, uppercuts and roundhouses. Neither one seemed to be able to pin down the other as they dodged around each other in two crimson streaks of light, one only slightly darker than the other.  
  
Blossom threw a mighty punch into the imposters stomach, bringing her other fist around to pummel her face as well, capitalizing on her lucky blow to the maximum extent that she could. One finishing kick sent the Cherry colored Blossom flying against the side of the bank, plunging through the wall in a shower of dust and debris.  
  
"Nothing can beat a REAL Powerpuff Girl!" Blossom exclaimed proudly, striking a pose in midair. She lost her pose though as the Cherry Blossom broke out of the debris, her fists slamming into her stomach continuously, each strike seeming to dig in deeper.  
  
Blossom grabbed the imposters wrists to keep her from hitting again, but the Cherry Blossom thrust itself upward, bringing both legs around to plant a solid double kick into Blossoms stomach. The Powerpuff Girl went flying into a light pole, a huge dent forming in the solid steel where she'd struck.  
  
"Take a nap Blossom, I'll take it from here." The Cherry Blossom said as she reached into one pocket, bringing out a bag of powder. Before Blossom could get her bearing against the imposter had already thrown the bag on top of her, sending the power spilling everywhere. She felt her arms and legs growing weaker as she inhaled the stuff.  
  
She fell limp against the cool steel of the light pole and could only listen as the imposter floated over to greet the cops. "There's your thief boys, an imposter of me!" She said, undoubtedly gesturing to Blossom herself.  
  
She wanted to tell them she was lying, SHE was the imposter, but she just couldn't fight back the darkness that crept into her mind as she fell unconscious.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Butch wandered through the tree house, looking around at all the empty space. With Boomer missing and Brick spending almost every second with Buttercup, he'd been spending an awful lot of his time alone. Not that he was complaining, he liked being alone a lot, but he was beginning to think maybe this was too much of a good thing.  
  
He gave a small sigh as he reached the edge of his front porch, looking up at the sky concealed only by a thin layer of branches overhead. What to do? He could do pretty much whatever he wanted. He didn't even have to go to school, so he was free literally all day except when Brick called one of those god-awful training sessions with the Powerpuff Girls. Maybe he could just hit the arcade or something?  
  
So he shut the door to the tree house before taking off into the air over the trees. The city of Townsville spread out below him like a picture. He secretly loved the view from up here, it was almost like he could grab anything between his hands and carry it off like a toy. Well maybe someday he could, but for now he was limited to saving the day and playing around.  
  
He took off over the city, knowing exactly where he was going. He'd been spending a lot of his time there lately; he'd even gotten to know the daughter of the arcade owner, Orion. She was cute if you liked normal girls, but he was a Rowdyruff Boy and needed someone as strong as him... well okay maybe a little weaker. Just so he knew he'd be needed.  
  
"Wha!?" Butch swerved quickly as Blossom appeared in front of him suddenly. He nearly careened into a wall before he got himself under control enough to stop and look back at her. She did look a little different, but he was too unnerved by the near miss to really think anything of it.  
  
"What's the big idea?!" He demanded angrily as he floated back to her. "Are you TRYING to get us both concussions!?" He asked.  
  
"No, sorry, I was just looking for you!" Blossom replied, smiling at him cutely. This made him pause, she was actually being nice to him. Something was seriously messed up with this picture.  
  
"Are you feeling okay?" Butch asked, putting one hand to her forehead. He'd meant it to be a mocking gesture, but she evidently took it seriously, grabbing his hand and holding it gently in hers, almost lovingly.  
  
"I'm fine, thanks for your concern." Blossoms said softly, curving her mouth up in what almost looked like a sensuous smile. He just stared at her in confusion for a good ten minutes, trying to sort it all out in his head. He hated her, she hated him, but here she was flirting with him... was he missing something?  
  
"Uh, wa... huh..." He sputtered, trying to say something though he didn't know what. Should he get mad at her? Tell her to go away? Or should he play along with this new game of hers? He did think it might be interesting to see if she was being sincere about all of this, then just when she thought she had him on her hook he'd pull away.  
  
"Come on, I want to show you my favorite view of the city!" Blossom exclaimed happily, holding his hand in hers as she took off across the city. Ah, this was it. She'd lead him to some public place and embarrass him somehow. Well he'd just be ready to turn the tables on her; SHE was the one who'd be embarrassed.  
  
He was more than a little surprised when she led him up to the top of one of the archways that framed the bridge leading out of Townsville. Once he got over his surprise, he realized this really was a nice view. The water underneath the bridge almost glowed with the light of the sun reflecting off of it, the skies pale blue mingling almost seamlessly with the water on the horizon.  
  
"Here." He looked down curiously as she held something out to him. He took it from her, examining it curiously. It was a flower, though he couldn't name it for the life of him. "It's a Cherry Blossom." She told him, answering his unasked question.  
  
He chuckled softly to himself, turning the flower about in his hand. "Cherry Blossom huh? Cute. Look Blossom I don't kn..." He stopped when he turned to look her in the eyes. She simply stared at him, not in mischief or hatred or even distrust, it was almost a loving... wanting stare. That stare scared him more than anything he'd ever encountered in his life. What WAS her game?  
  
His nervousness only grew as she leaned in toward him, her eyes closing halfway. This was getting way too serious for his tastes; just what was going on here? She'd gone from wanting him dead to just plain wanting him for no reason? It didn't make sense, yet here she was, getting closer to kissing him all the time.  
  
He was nervous, but found he couldn't have made himself move from that spot for anything. He was frightened and nervous, but he was also extremely curious and a little excited. So he braced himself as well as he could before her lips finally touched his.  
  
It wasn't as bad as he'd thought, in fact it was kind of nice, but he still didn't trust her. This sudden change of heart was too much, but her kiss seemed completely sincere. Her blinked when she pulled him a little closer to her, sticking her tongue in his mouth. Okay, THIS was going a little too far; he should end it now before something happened...  
  
He was about to push her away when he felt her taking a deep breath, her chest expanding against his. Suddenly a gust of cold air filled his lungs as Blossom exhaled into him. The piercing ice coated his lungs instantly, the sharp cold continuing to flow throughout his entire body.  
  
The pain was indescribable and unbearable as he fell to the floor, shivering violently as the ice finally stopped spreading, but still rendered him completely unable to move or even think clearly. He couldn't even try to scream since his very lungs had long gone numb. He wasn't even sure if he was still breathing, but assumed he was since he wasn't dead yet.  
  
His mind vaguely took note of Blossom lifting him up off the ground and holding him above her head, walking up to the edge of the bridge. He needed to fly, to get away to do something. But he couldn't even stop shivering, he was in pain, and he just couldn't concentrate even as he felt her throw him from the bridge.  
  
The fall lasted only a few seconds before he felt himself hit the surface of the water. He knew he should hold his breath, but he still couldn't feel anything as he floated along with the tide. The darkness seemed like bliss to him when unconsciousness finally claimed him from this nightmare.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Blossom blinked against the soft light as she finally woke up. She shook her head as gently as she could, trying to remember what had happened. She'd been flying to the bank to stop a robbery... then... That fake Blossom! She'd knocked her out with some weird powder... where was she now though?  
  
She took a look around to establish where she'd wound up. The floors and walls were made of brick with bars on one wall and a door in them... a prison cell!? Suddenly it all came back to her, that fake had told them SHE was the one who'd robbed the bank. Didn't anyone notice that they looked different?  
  
She flew off the bed immediately, streaking over to the bars of the cell. She grabbed them, yelling out as loud as she could. "HEY WARDEN!" She screamed. A cop rushed back to see what the problem was, then stopped when he saw her.  
  
"Oh, it's just you." He said, smirking at her contemptuously. Obviously, he believed her to be the fake Blossom.  
  
"Please, you have to listed to me. I'M the real Blossom! That other one was the imposter!" she pleaded with the officer, but she knew right away that he wouldn't listen, no matter what she said.  
  
"Then why did she win? The real Powerpuff Girls always win." The cop asked, acting like he knew everything. Blossom wished fervently that that was true, but alas, it wasn't.  
  
"She used some powder to put me to sleep! Please I have to get out of here before she hurts someone!" Blossom begged desperately.  
  
"Save your tricks for someone who'll fall for them." The cops told her, smirking as he turned away from her.  
  
"Wait! I'm Blossom! Please! You have to..." She stopped as the door to the front office of the police station closed behind the officer. "Help me..." She finished softly. She sighed and rested her head against the bars, trying to think. She could just leave, the bars couldn't stop her, but she couldn't break out of jail, she couldn't do anything illegal. She'd be a REAL criminal if she did.  
  
What could she do? Chances were nobody even knew she was down here. It'd been really stupid of her to go to the bank alone, if she'd had even one of her sisters with her, none of this would have happened. Now she was locked up and some imposter was flying around causing who-knows-what kind of mischief. All she could do about it was hope someone realized the difference before someone got seriously hurt...  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"Blossom!" Bubbles called out, floating through Miss Keane's house. She hadn't seen her red-haired sister almost all day, and it was starting to get dark outside. She had to be around somewhere, it was just a matter of finding her.  
  
She floated through the entire house, but found no sign of her. She gave a small sigh and floated up to the bedroom she shared with her sisters. Buttercup and Brick were in their together talking as they almost always were these days. "Have either of you seen Blossom?" She asked worriedly.  
  
"I think I saw her leave earlier." Buttercup replied. "Probably snuck off to a movie or something. It has been a slow day."  
  
"I don't think so, because she takes her Powerpuff duties seriously, unlike some people." Bubbles replied, smirking.  
  
"Hey now that was low! I take my responsibilities seriously! I just don't LIVE in them all the time!" Buttercup retorted. "I have a BOYFRIEND now, and you don't have to get jealous!"  
  
"Hey now don't drag me into this!" Brick exclaimed, backing away from the two Powerpuffs.  
  
"Well while you were flirting with your boyfriend, something might have happened to Blossom! She might need us and..." She was cut off when Blossom floated through the window, landing gently on the ground.  
  
"Hey girls, what's going on?" She asked, looking between the two girls confusedly. Buttercup smirked at Bubbles, sticking her tongue out.  
  
"This little worry-wart was about to call the police on you." Buttercup told her.  
  
"Well I was just worried... that's all." Bubbles said demurely. She'd been sure something was wrong... well in any case she guessed that she was glad she was wrong. She hated to think of bad things happening to her sisters.  
  
"You didn't have to come barging in on us like that though." Buttercup reprimanded her sister. "That was extremely rude."  
  
"Don't worry about it, I guess it's time for me to be getting back home anyway." Brick assured her before Bubbles had a chance to retort.  
  
"Awww, alright." Buttercup said before kissing him on the cheek tenderly. "Goodnight."  
  
"G'night." Brick replied, kissing her on the cheek as well before floating out the window. This left the three girls standing around.  
  
"Well we might as well get to bed before Miss Keane comes up to tell us to anyway." Buttercup said as she pulled off her dress and tights, floating over to the closet. Bubbles joined her shortly, leaving only Blossom floating in the center of the room.  
  
Finally Bubbles and Buttercup returned in their nightgowns. "Uh, Blossom, you might want to get changed sometime tonight." Buttercup said sarcastically.  
  
"Oh, right." Blossom replied, not sounding too embarrassed by her mistake as she floated over to the closet. She came back out in her nightgown in a few moments. "Well let's get to bed girls!" She said excitedly, darting under the red strip of sheet on the bed. The other girls just marveled at how much energy she had, but they decided not to dwell on it too much. They could puzzle it out in the morning.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Brick floated through the foliage of the trees on his way back to the house he shared with Butch, Boomer having gone missing. In truth he was supposed to have been home hours ago, but with every passing day it was getting harder and harder to pry himself away from Buttercup. One of these days he might have to drag her home with him...  
  
That thought prompted a small shiver of something akin to anticipation. He would treasure the day he got Buttercup to sleep over at his house, he was sure of it. Of course, Buttercup wasn't that kind of girl. She may have gotten most of the spice, but she was still nice too somewhere deep inside. That was one of the things he most liked about her.  
  
He landed on the small porch, not pausing before pushing his way inside the tree house. To his surprise he found it empty, the furniture and everything looked almost exactly like it had when he'd left that morning... where did Butch go? He knew his dark haired brother liked to be alone, but he was always home at night.  
  
Curiously he floated back to the door and looked outside for any sign of him, not really expecting to see anything. He'd probably just gotten tired and fallen asleep on a bench or something... really nothing to worry about. Butch was hardly defenseless, he could handle whatever came at him. If he still wasn't back in the morning then Brick would worry, but until then all he could do was just get some rest...  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
The chill night air stung him everywhere it touched his sopping wet skin and clothing, almost like a thousand blades clawing at him eagerly. He couldn't stop the constant shivers that ran the length of his spine as he slowly pulled himself up away from the lowering tide of the river that separated Townsville and Citiesville. He didn't know which side he was on. But he didn't really care.  
  
Butch clawed at the soft mud as he pulled himself up farther, the cold feeling more like a plague to his body than a simply temperature. A few grunts and moans escaped him as he moved, shivering heavily. He could barely breathe, and he couldn't even feel his legs at all.  
  
He stopped a moment and hunched over on the ground to throw up some more of the seawater that'd gotten into his system. The few muscles that hadn't gone completely numb felt like they might as well have been slugs for all the good they did him. He shook with every effort, and his breathing was getting harder by the second.  
  
Still he climbed the slope to where he hoped the main highway would be. He could find somebody, get some help before he passed out again from the cold, and exhaustion and Blossom... He still couldn't figure out what had happened with her, but he didn't really care right now. He just wanted to survive, that was his only concern.  
  
After what felt like an eternity to his battered and almost useless body he reached the top of the slope, and sure enough there was the highway. He dragged himself over to it and collapsed in the center of it. There was the chance that somebody might not see him and just run him over, but that would end this nightmare too, so either way was fine with him at this point.  
  
He waited alone in the pale light of the moon for anything to happen. Suddenly he looked up as a light snow began falling across the city. The first snow of the winter, normally he would have been happy to see it, but now the white coldness taunted him, reminding him of the state he was currently in.  
  
Finally he spotted the headlights of a car approaching from the direction of the bridge, heading in his direction. He tried to raise a hand and hail it over to him, but he could barely lift his head an inch off the ground at this point. Luckily the car stopped anyway and a figure climbed out, running over to him worriedly.  
  
"Oh my God! Are you okay kid!?" A rather burly looking old man asked, kneeling down over Butch worriedly. The boy tried to reply, but his throat might as well have been a steel pipe, he couldn't say anything. "Don't worry, I'll get you to a hospital!" The man said, picking the Rowdyruff Boy up gently but firmly.  
  
In another few moments Butch was in the passengers seat of the guys Cadillac as it rumbled along the highway. Where it was going Butch couldn't guess, but hopefully it was to somewhere someone could help him. He hated this, he was completely helpless right now, but he guessed he was lucky to still be breathing at this point... if you could call it luck.  
  
The car finally rolled to a stop outside of the hospital and the man grabbed him, climbing out with the Rowdyruff Boy hugged to his chest like a baby. Before the boy knew what was happening at least half a dozen men were rolling him down the hallway on a stretcher, mumbling among themselves. He caught a few words here and there. "Hypothermia" and "Pneumonia" being among them.  
  
He could only stare at the overhead lights as he felt his still soaked clothing being peeled off of him, the doctors examining him quickly. He felt himself slowly becoming more detached from the scene as the time wore on with him still in the hospital room. Finally, he fell once again into blissful unconsciousness.  
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The next morning Bubbles woke up, rubbing her eyes sleepily as she looked around the room. Buttercup was still asleep, but Blossom was nowhere in sight. "Blossom?" She asked as she floated up off the bed, yawning and floating over to the closet. She found her red-haired sister in there; fully dressed and wearing the black leather gloves Buttercup had used the week before. "What are you doing?"  
  
"My hands got cold." Blossom told her. "These were the only gloves I could find."  
  
"Oh... Well race you down to breakfast!" Bubbles exclaimed, taking off like a blue bullet down the stairs. When she got down there she found Miss Keane, their adoptive mother, already setting their cereal on the table.  
  
"Oh Bubbles, I was about to come wake you girls up." Miss Kean said, looking past her. "Are the other girls up?" Bubbles blinked in confusion and looked back. She'd thought Blossom would follow her downstairs. Ah she'd probably stopped at the bathroom or something.  
  
"They'll be down in a minute I guess." Bubbles said, shrugging up at her mother. She wasn't her real mother, but she was certainly close enough for Bubbles.  
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The triple butcher knives punched through the small holes in the leather gloves easily as she approached the bed, her shadow looming like a pall over the still sleeping Buttercup. She raised her fists into the air over her head, the claws glinting dangerously in the morning sunlight. She took a steadying breath, preparing to bring them down...  
  
Without warning Brick streaked in through the window in a crimson pinpoint of light, his worried voice sounding like an alarm. "Has anyone seen Butch!?" He asked almost frantically, waking up Buttercup. Cherry Blossom quickly put her hands behind her back, concealing the claws from view as best she could.  
  
"Wha... What's going on?" Buttercup asked as she rubbed her eyes sleepily and sat up in the bed.  
  
"Butch is missing! I've looked in all of his usual hang out spots but he's just not anywhere!" Brick exclaimed worriedly.   
  
"Didja check the morgue?" Cherry Blossom whispered to herself, smirking with satisfaction. Of course this drew strange stares from the other two, so she shrugged quickly. "I haven't seen him."  
  
"Well we have to find him!" Brick almost screamed, his voice cracking mid-sentence.  
  
"Hey calm down!" Buttercup told him, floating up from the bed to hug him comfortingly. "It's fine, we'll find him! Right Blossom?" She asked, looking back at Cherry Blossom.  
  
"Of course!" She replied, smiling what she hoped wasn't the fakest smile on the planet. "We should split up though so we can cover more ground."  
  
"Yeah, go get Bubbles, you two can take one direction, me and Brick can go the other way." Buttercup said, for once taking charge of a situation. Cherry Blossom started to protest, but they were already gone out the window. Well she'd just have to settle for taking Bubbles right now, as soon as they were alone...  
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The light of the hospital room seemed far too bright to Butch's eyes as he opened them slowly, squinting against it. He could feel the thin paper gown covering his body... it was all that he had on. The light hospital sheets covered him up to his chin. He looked around at the hospital room he was in. There was a small TV hung up on the wall in front of him.  
  
He looked over as the door opened and a tall man wearing a doctors coat walked in. "You're awake. A very good sign." He said as he took a clipboard off the foot of the bed, examining it. "Looks like you got lucky young man." He said.  
  
"Wh... Where am I..." Butch asked in a hoarse whisper. His throat felt raw and he could barely get those few words out.  
  
"The Townsville emergency room, where else?" The doctor replied. So he was still in Townsville, that was good at least. He wasn't looking forward to hitchhiking all the way from Citiesville. "Can you tell me your name?" He asked.  
  
"Butch..." He croaked, putting one hand to his throat painfully. The doctor nodded in understanding him and handed him a small glass of water.  
  
"Only small sips." He said. "Now, parent or legal guardian?" Butch opened his mouth to answer, but stopped cold. He didn't have a parent or legal guardian. He couldn't say Buttercup because she was just a kid... but what adult in Townsville would care enough to take responsibility for him?  
  
"M... Miss Keane... the Kindergarten teacher..." He said. The drink had really helped him and he was sounding better already, but he still sounded pretty bad.  
  
"Well we'll just give her a call and tell her where you are then." The doctor said, smiling kindly before turning to leave.  
  
"Wait!" Butch exclaimed, halting him before he left. "Am... am I going to be okay?" He asked.  
  
"Well..." The doctor said softly, putting the clipboard under one arm. "The cold apparently obstructed the nerves on your lower spine beyond repair..."  
  
"What does that mean?" Butch asked fearfully.  
  
"It means... You won't be able to move your legs again... I'm sorry. The hardest part is always telling patients the truth." Butch just stared at him blankly. He couldn't move his legs? He rarely used them anyway, he usually floated. Still... He wouldn't be able to kick butt with them anymore; they would just dangle there like pieces of string. Least the cats would love him...  
  
"Now you get a bit of rest while I go call your mother. The remote's on the desk beside you." The doctor said, smiling reassuringly before he turned to leave.  
  
This time Butch let him go, staring at the ceiling. Paralyzed? The idea swirled in his brain like a whirlpool, along with all of its implications. There were a lot of things he probably couldn't do now, and they would likely rear their ugly heads sooner or later... He just had to learn to get along...  
  
Wearily he reached over and grabbed the remote off the desk, turning the TV on. The news came up and he turned the channel. There was never anything good on when he needed something to take his mind off of life. He stopped flipping suddenly as a new report came on. Might as well know what he was missing.  
  
The reporter organized the papers on her desk, facing the camera. "And in a rather bizarre bank robbery attempt early yesterday morning, somebody spectators are calling nobody broke into the Townsville bank. Though Blossom of the Powerpuff Girls was on hand to apprehend the criminal, the money from the bank was never found."  
  
Huh... Blossom stopped a bank robbery? Why hadn't she said anything? She liked to brag as much as anybody.  
  
"In an odd twist, a second Blossom appeared and attacked while spectators watched from the ground. She defeated it, and it now sits in Townsville maximum-security prison waiting for trial. Let's go now to a live interview."  
  
Butch watched curiously as the view switched from the reporter to an image of another reporter standing in front of a prison cell. Blossom was just inside of it, staring at the camera almost pleadingly.  
  
"Who are you, and how do you have Blossoms powers?" The reporter asked.  
  
"I'M the real Blossom! The one out there is the imposter! We have to stop it before it hurts someone! You have to believe me!" Blossom said, gesturing frantically. The camera cut back to the reporter again suddenly.  
  
"This is Tina Poragun, Townsville News." She said as they went to a commercial.  
  
Butch stared at the TV, everything suddenly clicking into place. That hadn't been Blossom yesterday! It was this imposter! And it was still loose... he had to do something. Warn somebody. How though, they wouldn't let him out and he wasn't sure how far he could make it on his own.  
  
He at least had to try, he should be able to make it to the prison... tell the guards everything, and free Blossom. Then she could take care of the imposter... If he could just make it down there...  
  
He pushed the blanket off of himself, floating up from the bed. His legs simply dangled from his body limply under his paper hospital gown. He didn't know where his clothes were, and might not have much time anyway. So he flew at the window as fast as he could, which was about half his normal flying speed. He opened it and flew out, heading for the police station. Hopefully he could get there in time before someone else was tricked...  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Bubbles flew over Townsville at a steady pace, scanning the streets for any sign of Butch. He didn't really seem to be anywhere, and there was no sign that he'd ever been there. Where could he have gone?  
  
Suddenly she felt a cold chill run down her spine as Blossom flew directly over her. She'd been acting strange all morning, not eating breakfast and deciding they should head to almost random points in town. She had to remember to ask if something was bothering her when their current mission was done.  
  
A sudden rush in the wind alerted her to a knife heading straight for her back. She plunged downward, doing a flip in the air so she's facing Blossom. She had the butcher knives out, one of them slashing the air where Bubbles had been just moments before.  
  
"What are you doing Blossom!?" Bubbles asked, surprised by this sudden attack. Blossom didn't respond, instead just flinging herself at her blond sister.  
  
Bubbles turned to fly away from her as fast as she could. She couldn't fight Blossom, no matter what she was doing. "Please stop it!" She pleaded with her sister, but her pleading fell on deaf ears as Blossom slowly caught up with her, slashing the claws in a wide arc.  
  
They caught Bubbles in the leg, cutting deeply. She let out a shrill scream of pain as she lost her concentration, falling from the sky. She slammed into a rooftop with tremendous force, putting a huge crater in the cement roof. She groaned painfully as her sister landed, moving towards her.  
  
Bubbles opened her mouth and let out an ear-piercing sonic scream, trying to call for help. Blossom clutched her head as the scream rang through her ears like a siren. Wait a minute... Blossom normally wasn't affected by her screams, how come she was now?  
  
In any case she decided not to waste her advantage and took off from the roof again, holding onto her wounded leg as she flew away as rapidly as she could. Blossom would be back after her shortly, though she couldn't begin to guess why. Something was wrong... What was going on here?  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Blossom sat on the small bunk of her jail cell, staring down at the floor. There was no telling what her doppelganger was doing right now, and it was driving her insane. Everyone thought she was Blossom too, and that would only make them hate her and stuff. Someone had to realize the changes, they just had to...  
  
She looked up when she heard the door at the end of the hall open up and a pair of footsteps coming down the hall. She stood up and walked over to the bars to watch to figures coming down the hall. One was a cop from the main lobby, the other was...  
  
"Butch?" She said in surprise. He was the last person she'd expected to come and visit her. He looked terrible. His hair was a complete mess, he had dark circles under his eyes and he was only wearing a paper hospital gown. His legs didn't really seem to move as all, simply swinging with the current of his movements and the winds around him. "What happened to you?"  
  
"You did..." He said softly. She knew instantly what he meant and was struck dumb with a pang of guilt. Why had she had to play lone superhero? She should never have gone alone; she should have taken someone with her. Bubbles, Butch anybody... but instead she'd caused all of this because she'd been too arrogant...  
  
"I'm sorry..." She said softly, looking down at the bars of the cage. "She got the better of me and... There was nothing I can do. Nobody believes I'm me."  
  
"They do now. I told them that you attacked me yesterday... AFTER the bank robbery... It wasn't hard to figure out why once I knew about this..." Butch replied, floating to the side to the cop could open up the door to the cell. Blossom took a step outside of it, almost unsure that this was really happening.  
  
"Um... Butch..." Blossom said softly, looking down at his legs. He just shook his head, folding his arms over his chest.  
  
"Go save Townsville, I'll be fine." He said, not looking at her directly anymore. She got the distinct feeling there was something he wasn't telling her, but he was right about one thing, this wasn't the time to discuss it. She had to find the fake Blossom before she hurt someone else.  
  
"We'll talk later." She told him seriously. He just waved her off and turned away, so she streaked out the window in a crimson flash. She had to find that other Blossom before she caused more damage. A light snow was falling over Townsville, though not yet enough had fallen to blanket everything.  
  
Finally she spotted a green and another crimson light streak flying through the air. For a moment she thought it was the other Blossom, but soon recognized it as Brick. She cursed herself silently and flew over to them. "Buttercup!"  
  
"Blossom? What are you doing here? Did you find Butch!?" Brick asked quickly.  
  
"Butch? Yeah I just saw him at the police station." Bossom said, puzzled.  
  
"What did he do something?" Brick asked, sounding just as puzzled.  
  
"Well... no... it's a long story! Look, where am I! I mean where was I last you saw me?" Blossom asked. She continued when she saw the others confused stares. "It's important, I need to know!"  
  
"You were heading that way with Bubbles to look for Butch, remember?" Buttercup told her.  
  
Blossom gasped. "Oh no, Bubbles! We have to go help her! She's in danger!" She yelled as she streaked off in the direction Buttercup had indicated. They were confused, but Buttercup and Brick followed her without question. Blossom only hoped they weren't too late...  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"Stop Blossom!" Bubbles screamed as she dived out of the way of another of her sisters heat blasts. She was tired, and was getting scared by all of this, what was Blossoms problem? Did Bubbles do something again? Why was she doing this?  
  
"Stop moving you little brat!" Blossom yelled in frustration as she fired another heat blast from her eyes. This one hit Bubbles square in the chest, throwing her up against the side of a building. She groaned weakly as Blossom floated down toward her, scraping the claws against each other.  
  
"No you don't!" A voice shouted as another crimson beam of light tackled Blossom, throwing them both against the side of a building, disappearing inside of it. Bubbles looked up as Buttercup and Boomer landed beside her, looking down at her worriedly.  
  
"Are you okay?" Buttercup asked as she helped her little sister to her feet. Bubbles nodded silently, then looked over at Brick. If he was here... then who had just tackled Blossom?  
  
Her question was answered when Blossom was thrown out of the side of the building by a heat blast. She managed to right herself in mid-air, facing the hole in the wall as another Blossom floated out after her.  
  
"Blossom... and Blossom? What's going on?" Bubbles asked confusedly.  
  
"I don't know, we'll have to ask Blossom about that in a minute. We should help her... but..." Buttercup trailed off.  
  
"Which one's the REAL Blossom?" Brick finished her unspoken though.  
  
They could only watch helplessly as the two blossoms circled each other, both wearing the same look on their faces, the same dresses, but...  
  
"The one with the gloves is the fake one!" Bubbles exclaimed, realizing there was one difference. The fake Blossom was still wearing Buttercups Wolverine claws. "SHE'S the imposter!"  
  
The three superheroes lunged just as the Cherry Blossom realized her fatal mistake, distinguishing herself from her original. Bubbles and Buttercup grabbed her by each arm, careful to avoid the knives as Blossom flew in, planting a series of hard punches to her gut.  
  
"I've had enough of you ruining my good name!" Blossom yelled, slamming her fist into the imposters face as hard as she could. Then each hero took one of Cherry Blossoms limbs, holding her between them. "Buh-bye!" Blossom yelled. The four heaved upward, throwing the fake Blossom up into the sky. She vanished, where she landed none of them could guess.  
  
"I'm still confused... just what's been happening around here?" Bubbles asked confusedly.  
  
"I'll explain it all later..." Blossom told her sister. "I'm just glad to be out of prison now, that place is terrible! I almost pity the villains we put there... almost."  
  
"Prison? Why can I suddenly not wait to hear this story." Buttercup said, smirking to herself. Bubbles was just glad everything was back to normal... well as normal as it could be at the moment. They had the good Blossom back, she knew where Butch was and they could just get back to life...  
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The next day Butch floated at the edge of the hospital roof, still wearing the paper gown that hospitals made their patients wear. He still couldn't move his legs, and the doctors told him he'd never be able to. All he could do now was float, which wasn't really a problem, but at least before he had the option...  
  
"Hey." He looked over his shoulder at the voice that came from behind him. Blossom floated up beside him, putting one hand on his shoulder. "The doctors told me what... she did to you." She told him.  
  
"Doesn't matter." Butch replied, looking down at the city streets below them. The truth was though it did matter, a lot. He was missing two limbs, and his voice would never sound exactly like it had. Even a Rowdyruff Boy couldn't take the kind of stuff he'd gone through and get out unscathed. He'd never realized how dangerous Blossom could be if he made her angry...  
  
"It does matter because it's my fault... I was stupid enough to go alone and let that imposter beat me... If I'd only won she would never have been able to..." Blossom said, stumbling to find the right words. "And the way she... tricked you..." She said softly.  
  
He looked over at her, narrowing his eyes. She was being totally sincere, like she never had been with him before. In a way she reminded him of the imposter at this moment, only because she was being serious. He reached out one hand and touched her cheek gently.  
  
"It's okay, it's not your fault... It's nobodies fault but mine. I should have known better than to trust that you'd had a sudden change of heart and liked me... It was stupid to think that could ever happen." He said.  
  
Blossom looked up at him a bit sadly. "Well I don't know, it might happen someday..." She said, stroking his hand on her cheek. "Now that I know you're more than just a muscle-bound prick who likes torturing my sister... First though I wanna be your friend." She said, taking his hand off her cheek and holding it in hers.  
  
"Friend huh... Guess I am mostly harmless now." He said, knocking on one of his limp legs with his free hand. Blossom just sighed sadly and pulled him back toward the door.  
  
"Come on, you don't need to be out in this snow right now." She said as she pulled him inside. If Butch didn't know better he might think she was worried about him. Well, if this was the imposter, it was at least a better one than before. Something told him that it was actually blossom though, and that knowledge somehow made him a bit happier, even in his current condition.  
  
THE END 


	7. 107A- Deal With The Devil

107A- A Deal with the Devil  
  
  
Cherry Blossom lay on the table limply, her eyes closed as he looked down at her, looking her body up and down. He'd done a good job in crafting her, the best that he could possibly have done, but it had still failed. If only it had brought that Rowdyruff Boy in instead of trying to off him, he would even now have his goal. The chemical that would make him immortal. The artificial intelligence and strength hadn't been enough; it needed an actual brain... one he couldn't give it.  
  
The Necromancer angrily kicked the stretcher Cherry Blossoms body lay upon, sending it rolling across the room. Useless piece of junk, he was no closer to getting his hands on the Chemical X than he had before... unless he turned his attention elsewhere. Only two of the Rowdyruff Boys had been spotted... that left one missing... on his own... somewhere out there. He just had to find him.  
  
He smirked to himself as he walked back over to his creation. A lone Rowdyruff Boy, she would be able to handle it. But after it'd gone berzerk last time he couldn't trust it wouldn't kill him rather than bring him back. Its brain was still faulty; he needed something more reliable...  
  
"Ask and thou shall receive they say." A soft, sultry voice said from behind him. He slowly turned around, wondering who'd been able to get so close without alerting his magically enhanced sense of awareness. A strange looking man stood behind him, dark red skin and wearing some weird clothing that almost looked like a dress. Its arm ended in a pair of claws that clicked together as he stared back, smirking.  
  
"Who are you?" James said cautiously.  
  
"I am the one who can get you what you want." The figure said in his soft voice, pushing himself off the wall to approach the body on the stretcher. "In exchange for what I want." He said, looking back at James out of the corner of his eye.  
  
"And what is that?" The Necromancer asked. He really didn't deal with anybody, he did what he wanted and needed, he was nobodies lackey.  
  
The figure turned back to face him with a lowered head. His eyes seemed to pulse with a dark light; his voice suddenly changed to a dark growl from deep within his throat. "The Powerpuff Girls, dead at my feet." He said, his eyes narrowing, suddenly looking much more menacing than he had moments before. The Necromancer wasn't frightened easily, but something about this guy made a small shiver run through his spine.  
  
"Just who are you?" He asked again, taking a step away from the stranger.  
  
Almost as suddenly as he'd changed before the figure was back to his old dulcet tone of voice, smirking ironically. "Just call me..." He finished with a dark rumble. "HIM."  
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Buttercup streaked around the room as fast as she could, leaving a green streak of light behind her the whole time. Makeup and a new dress and she even had a little green purse to take with her on hers and Brick's first night on the town. Normally five-year-olds weren't allowed to date, but who would mess with a Powerpuff Girl AND a Rowdyruff Boy except for the suicidal portion of Townsville? Just a few more preparations and she would be ready to go. She had to hurry though; Brick would be there any minute.  
  
"Um... Buttercup..." Bubbles said, raising one hand as her and Blossom watched the spectacle from the bed. "I have a question." She said in her usual innocent tone of voice.  
  
"What?" Buttercup asked irritably. She really had to hurry, and Bubbles was only slowing things down.  
  
"Why is tonight so special? You've been going out for months." She asked. As usual, her blond haired sister was missing the point entirely.  
  
"This is OFFICIAL. It's our first date! If everything doesn't go PERFECT it would just... Be terrible!" Buttercup replied, zooming down the stairs to look for her lipstick in the living room. She looked everywhere she could think but it didn't seem to be anywhere. Why could she find anything anytime except when she needed it?  
  
"Miss Keane!" She yelled, zooming into the kitchen where their adoptive mother was making dinner for the other two girls. Buttercup herself would be eating out. "Where's my lipstick!?"  
  
"You don't own any lipstick." Miss Keane replied. She giggled softly when Buttercup grumbled, remembering that little fact. "You can use mine though in my room." She said, smiling reassuringly.  
  
"Thanks!" Buttercup exclaimed, not even giving her time to say you're welcome before streaking up the stairs to her room. She found the promised lipstick in Miss Keane's makeup dresser; it was a dark strawberry red. Aw well, it'd do.  
  
She flew to the bathroom and put it on carefully, not wanting to go anywhere with the stuff all over her face. Bubbles floated in beside her to watch this curiously in the mirror.  
  
"You hate makeup." She said confusedly. "So why do you want to wear it?"  
  
"Because dummy! It's a date and I want to look good!" Buttercup replied, getting a little exasperated with her sisters ignorance. Then she looked back at the mirror and realized she'd trailed off as she'd spoken, running a line of lipstick up onto her cheek. "Aw crap!" She grabbed a rag and rubbed off the excess, glaring at Bubbles.  
  
"Wouldn't it be better to just be yourself and have fun?" Bubbles asked, seemingly unfazed by Buttercups obvious annoyance.  
  
"Well maybe in your little make-believe world of candy-canes and lollipops sure, but for a real date with a real boy you need to look your best. It's a little thing you'll learn when you grow up." Buttercup replied.  
  
"I'm just as old as you!" Bubbles whined, offended.  
  
"Then act like it! I swear sometimes I think you're just a little girl trapped in a Powerpuff Girl's body!" Buttercup snapped back.  
  
"I'm telling Miss Keane!" Bubbles whined, turning to float out the door. Great, that was all Buttercup needed, getting in trouble right before her big night.  
  
"Wait hold on Bubbles, hold on!" She exclaimed, moving to block her exit quickly. "I didn't mean it, okay? I'm just a bit stressed out because of the date tonight, you know?" She said, hoping her sister would buy it.  
  
"Well okay... but stop making fun of me! I'm as old and smart as either of you!" Bubbles insisted.  
  
"Sure you are. Now why don't you go in our room and pway with your wittle Octi for awhile okay?" Buttercup said cutely as she led her sister back to their bedroom. Almost instantly she streaked back out again to finish the lipstick... just in time too. The doorbell rang loudly throughout the house.  
  
She took a moment to admire herself in the mirror. She had on a green low cut dress with sparkles over every part of it. The bottom went down to her knees and the sleeves went no farther than her shoulders. Her hair was up in a bun on top of her head. She wished she had longer hair like her sisters so she could look like a princess, but a handmaiden would have to do. She also had on a hint of blush and eye shadow, with lipstick thrown in for good measure.  
  
She winked sensuously to herself in the mirror; she really did look good even if she said so herself. Finally she streaked down the stairs to get the door before anybody else could. When it opened she saw brick waiting with one hand behind his back. His eyes went wide and he stared at her, open mouthed for a while.  
  
He was wearing a small red tuxedo he'd probably gotten for free as part of the boys' deal with the city. He was also wearing his red cap forwards for once instead of backwards or off to the side. Other than that he looked just like he always did. Sometimes Buttercup envied boys; they had so little to do to look fancy.  
  
"Hey." Buttercup said in greeting, also secretly trying to snap him out of the trance he'd fallen into at the sight of her. She wasn't sure whether to be flattered or insulted by this.  
  
"Uh... H... Hey, hey!" He said, slowly waking up again. He rubbed his eyes with his free hand, trying to wake himself up again. "Sorry, guess I kind of zonked out."  
  
"Don't worry about it." Buttercup replied, smirking slightly to herself. "Wanna come in for something to drink or just get going?"  
  
"Uh first I have... something." He said, pulling his hand out from behind his back. It held a flower of some kind Buttercup couldn't recognize for the life of her. "I thought about getting a rose, but that's so cliché and not you... So then I saw this one and just had to get it for you."  
  
She reached out to take the flower from him, sniffing it slightly. It didn't look or smell all that great, but it did look kind of rough, kind of how she saw herself. All in all she wasn't all that flattered THIS had reminded him of her. Aw well, she wasn't the flower kind of girl anyway.  
  
"Great, let me just put this somewhere and we can get going." Buttercup said, going into the kitchen where Miss Keane was. "Do we have water or anything?" She asked, showing her the flower.  
  
"Oh that's a... nice flower." Miss Keane said, obviously just being nice. Honestly Buttercup had to agree. "I think we have a vase underneath the sink." She told her. So The Powerpuff Girl floated down to grab a vase, setting it on the table and putting the flower in it. She filled it with water before heading back out to the living room with it.  
  
"Alright, we can go now." She told him as she set the vase on the small end table beside the couch.  
  
"Great, what movie did you want to catch?" Brick asked.  
  
"I was thinking something like The Matrix 2." Buttercup replied, drawing a grin from Brick. That was another thing he liked about her, he never had to worry about being dragged to a chick-flick. She hated them about as much as he did.  
  
"You read my mind." He said, holding out one hand to her. She smiled and took it as they both headed for the door.  
  
"You'll be back BEFORE nine o'clock right Buttercup?" Miss Keane asked sharply, poking her head out of the kitchen. The brunette Powerpuff gave a small sigh at this, she thought she'd forgotten about the curfew.  
  
"Yes I'll be back before nine." She replied dutifully.  
  
"Alright, have fun!" Miss Keane said, ducking back into the kitchen. Buttercup sighed and turned to Brick, nodding toward the door. He nodded and took her hand again as they headed out the front door. It'd be an interesting night, be especially interesting to see what developed when they were alone together...  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Bubbles sat at the window, watching Buttercup and Brick leave with something she might have mistaken for anger. Why was she always the little baby Powerpuff Girl? No matter what she did, she just wasn't as smart as anyone else in their eyes. Vicious yes, but not smart. She knew what dating was all about, going out with someone and being happy with them. Maybe it was Buttercup who was wrong this time?  
  
She wasn't a baby, she knew everything the others did, but they still treated her like an ignorant little nuisance. She got good grades in school; she'd passed rather easily, and had no doubt she'd do the same with first grade. She just needed to prove herself... How though?  
  
She looked back at the door when Blossom came back into the room from watching Buttercup and Brick leave. She gave a small sigh and plopped onto the bed, sounding much like Bubbles felt at the moment.  
  
"You too?" Bubbles asked faintly.  
  
"I guess..." Blossom replied, staring at the ceiling blankly. "Just not fair. Buttercup hates boys, why is she the first one with a boyfriend?"  
  
"Just wait until you grow up Bubbles." Bubbles said, frowning to herself. "Like she's not just as young as I am..."  
  
"Ah we shouldn't let her get to us. She's just being Buttercup, unfortunately." Blossom said, putting one hand on Bubbles' shoulder.  
  
"Well I HATE Buttercup!" Bubbles exclaimed, startling her sister. "Always teasing me and making fun of me! Baby Bubbles needs to grow up!" She yelled, her voice going sonic the more she talked. "I am NOT a baby and I do NOT want to play with Octi every time someone wants to get rid of me!"  
  
"Bubbles calm down!" Blossom exclaimed trying to silence the girl whose voice had reached a dangerously high octave. "She can be a pain but she's still our sister. We don't hate her; she just gets on our nerves. She doesn't mean to be mean..."  
  
"HAH!" Bubbles cried out, making the windows rattle.  
  
"Okay okay maybe she does mean to be mean, but that's just the way she is. She's mean, but she's our sister. We all have our little quirks, but we still love each other, right?" Blossom said.  
  
"I guess so..." Bubbles said softly, looking down at the floor. "She just never stops and it makes me mad at her, but I don't like to be mad so it makes me sad to be mad and I REALLY don't like being sad." She said.  
  
"It's okay. She's just being herself. We love her for it and wouldn't have her any other way, right?" Blossom said.  
  
"Speak for yourself, she could be a little nicer sometimes." Bubbles replied. "But yeah... I love her because she's my sister..."  
  
"Right, we just accept her. Just like we've accepted you for being Bubbles and you've accepted me for being Blossom. We have to accept her for being Buttercup." Blossom said.  
  
"Okay now you're just confusing me." Bubbles said.  
  
"Sorry, I'll stop." Blossom said, chuckling along with her sister. Bubbles thought maybe her sister was right, she was just being Buttercup no matter how mad she made the others sometimes. She just had to accept it and move on, because all in all they'd always be sisters. No matter what.  
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It'd been over a month since Boomer had made that deal, the deal that'd basically enslaved him to Princess until he fulfilled his side of their agreement. He knew what she was doing; they'd left Townsville specifically so he COULDN'T finish his side of the bargain. So he had no choice but to either serve her until she died, or break his word, and he would NEVER do that.  
  
Sure he had caused Brick and Buttercup to break up technically, but he'd really never broken his word to Bubbles after she'd won their fight. He'd never said anything about the couple, never-mind that they hadn't been together anymore. He hadn't broken his word then, and he wouldn't now...  
  
"Boomer!" He smirked and looked back as he heard Princess' voice ringing from the megaphone she kept so she could summon him at any time. He growled deep in his throat before heading to see what she wanted.  
  
"Yes oh loud one?" He asked as he floated into her bedroom. She gave him a piercing glare when she finally noticed him.  
  
"Get me a drink would you?" She asked, smiling at him sweetly. He nearly threw up right there. He resented his own stupidity in making this deal than he resented her for making him stick to it so rigorously. "Oh and I want a chilled iced-tea from the restaurant down the street, not a stupid old glass of water from the summer house."  
  
"Yes, ma'am." He said dutifully, secretly fuming. He hated this, he wished he was back home with his brothers... and even the girls would be preferable to Princess Piglet here. Well he'd made his own bed here by making that deal, now he had no choice but to lay in it.  
  
He took off from the small mansion down the street to her favorite place to eat. One of the fanciest restaurants that he'd ever seen in his life that stood on the corner of the street that led up to her mansion.  
  
He sighed to himself when he landed and there was a whole line of people ahead of him. He had a feeling this was going to be a very long wait.  
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Princess sighed contentedly as she lay back on her bed, staring up at the ceiling lazily. She loved having a Rowdyruff Boy as a servant even more than she loved the idea of revenge against the Powerpuff Girls. He was faster than any butler she'd ever had before, much more convenient too since he could fly.  
  
"Priiinceeeesssss." A soft, wispy voice called her name, causing her to sit up in the bed, startled. Boomer was fast, but not THAT fast. She looked around quickly, but spotted nobody in the room with her. Was it her imagination? "Princess." The voice came again, slightly louder this time. She gasped as she recognized it, leaping out of bed.  
  
"What are you doing here?" She asked even as the all too familiar crimson face appeared in front of her. "I thought the Powerpuff Girls killed you!?"  
  
"Killed? Moi?" Him laughed loudly at the idea, a booming laugh that echoed through the entire mansion. Finally he replied darkly, all trace of humor gone from his voice. "Don't make me laugh."  
  
"Well what do you want? Why aren't you out terrorizing Townsville or something?" She asked. "Most of all what are you doing in MY BEDROOM?" She demanded incredulously.  
  
"You have something I need to get rid of those Powerpuff Girls forever." Him replied, once again his calm, dulcet self. "The Rowdyruff Boy."  
  
"Boomer? I already tried to use him against them! It didn't work! Even with my strength enhancing armor!" She replied. "So you might as well forget that plan."  
  
"DON'T PREPOSE TO TELL ME WHAT WON'T WORK!" Him howled in a dark growl that, though soft, seemed to echo longer than anything Princess had ever heard in her life. She backed away from him quickly, bumping into one of her bedposts.  
  
"But he's MY Rowdyruff Boy..." Princess whined.  
  
"Are you denying me?" Him asked in a soft voice. He didn't sound threatening, but she knew what he could very well do if she didn't give him what he wanted.  
  
"No... Just tell me what you're going to do with him..." Princess replied softly.  
  
"If one Powerpuff can't beat the rest, then two just might." Him replied, letting out a loud chuckle that slowly grew into full-blown laughter.  
  
"What do you want from me?" Princess asked demurely, feeling completely helpless for the first time in her life. She wished there was a way out, but if there was she couldn't see it.  
  
"Just bring two suits of your armor and the Rowdyruff Boy back to Townsville. I will take care of the rest." Him said in a dark voice, grinning evilly. His eyes pulsed brightly in anticipation of what would surely be a hideous experience for the Powerpuff Girls.  
  
"Okay..." She replied. Finally his presence vanished from her bedroom completely, leaving her alone once again. She closed her eyes and sunk to her knees wearily, which had begun to feel weak anyway. She hated Him, he was so arrogant and everything had to revolve around him. What about her? He treated her like just some lackey to be ordered around...  
  
She was startled out of her rest when Boomer came back, opening the doors to her bedroom and looking around for her. "What happened to you?" He asked when he saw her on the floor.  
  
"Nothing!" She replied quickly, standing up. "We're going back to Townsville!" She announced authoritatively.  
  
"What? When?" He asked in surprise.  
  
"Tonight!" She yelled. "So get to packing! Right now!" She ordered him. He looked confused, but went about his task without any more questions. After this she would just let Him take Boomer and do whatever he wanted. She wasn't about to risk his anger to protect a Rowdyruff Boy.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Buttercup and Brick were both grinning as they left the Movie Theater. A quick glance at the clock inside told them it was only a quarter to nine; she was due home soon. She didn't really want to go yet, the night was still young, but so was she for now. In a few years they would have more time together, but for now they had curfews to keep... well she did anyway. Sometimes she envied him not having any parents.  
  
"Well this has been really fun..." Brick said, smiling at her happily as they walked along the sidewalk toward Miss Keane's house. They could have flown of course and been there in a matter of seconds, but they didn't really want this night to end to fast.  
  
"Yeah I guess. I personally thought it was just like every other night." Buttercup replied, smirking ironically. Bubbles had been right actually; not that she'd ever admit it. This was like any other night except more... constricting and cold. It was snowing and she was wearing a dress with no tights or pants underneath. She should have at least worn SHORTS if nothing else.  
  
Brick laughed slightly at this. "Hyeah now that you mention it, it did feel familiar." He told her, taking her hand to stop her walking and turning her to face him. This kind of annoyed her, because she wanted to get home and get warm, but she didn't say anything. "But that's just because every night with you is happier than the last."  
  
"Aww that's sweet..." She told him, wondering how long she should wait before resuming forward progress. She was freezing her butt off here. She nearly let out a scream of frustration when he kissed her gently, holding her to him. She just couldn't stay mad at him though, so she relaxed slightly. He did feel warm at least; his proximity helped her warm up a bit.  
  
She felt his hands slide down her back to her butt slowly. It was kind of ironic really; just his hands there helped warm her. She couldn't help but wonder if that was his intention or if he had something else on his mind at the moment.  
  
"What is it?" He asked, sounding a bit confused. It took her a moment to realize she'd chuckled out loud.  
  
"Oh nothing, sorry. I was just thinking of something funny I heard earlier." She told him reassuringly. He still looked unconvinced, so she took one of his hands and put it on her butt as she continued the walk home. There, that helped keep her warmer until she could get inside and back into her normal clothing.  
  
As they neared the house she looked up at the window to see her two sisters gawking out at them. She smirked as she realized where his hand still was; they would undoubtedly get the wrong idea. Or was it the right idea? She couldn't tell anymore.  
  
"Well goodnight I guess." Brick said, turning toward her again and letting his hand fall from its previous position. "It really has been... interesting." He said, smiling at her happily.  
  
"Yeah well, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." Buttercup replied, smirking ironically. Sure he did, this was the first time he'd ever touched her anywhere but on the shoulders or waist. "Goodnight." She said before turning and practically running inside. The moment she shut the door behind her and turned back to the living room her sisters were there waiting for her.  
  
"Whaaaat?" She asked irritably.  
  
"We saw you two out there! He was touching your butt!" Blossom exclaimed.  
  
"Yeah, how could you do that Buttercup?" Bubbles asked.  
  
"Do what? I got cold and he helped warm me up." Buttercup replied as she pushed past them, heading upstairs to change. Her sisters continued their nagging questions as she got dressed in her usual tights and green skirt. It was really none of their business, but she knew they wouldn't shut up until they knew every detail.  
  
"Fine, you know what? I'm pregnant!" Buttercup announced finally. Her sisters nearly had heart attacks right there in front of her. "Man you guys are easy." She said, chuckling and shaking her head as she went to sit down on the bed and rest.  
  
"NOT funny!" Blossom yelled at her angrily.  
  
"It was totally innocent, okay? The butt thing was ALL that happened." She assured them. "I don't even see why that's such a big deal anyway."  
  
"I can tell you why that's such a big deal. It's... It's... Not appropriate!" Blossom retorted. Bubbles looked around thoughtfully while Buttercup just chuckled.  
  
"Thanks mom." Buttercup smirked, putting her hands on her hips. She regretted it almost immediately when she saw her sisters faces turn into emotionless masks. The idea of a mom was a sensitive concept to them, because they'd never had a real one. They had Miss Keane now of course, but it really wasn't the same.  
  
"Let's just get to sleep..." Blossom said, turning away from her brunette sister pointedly as she floated over to the bed. Bubbles followed behind her, leaving Buttercup to just watch them helplessly. She sighed and floated over to the closet to get dressed again, this time into her nightgown. Why did she always wind up saying the wrong things whether she meant to or not?  
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It was only three hours before Boomer and Princess arrived back in Townsville, dead tired from the sudden flight and the fact that it was now nearly midnight. Princess had remained tight-lipped about just why they had to be back in Townsville tonight for the entire trip. He knew something was going on, something had happened, but he figured it was probably family troubles. Or she just missed bossing people around.  
  
Either way they were both ready to collapse when they reached her mansion on the outskirts of the city. She didn't even dismiss him or boss him around before trudging along into her room, closing the door behind her. He thought about returning home, then thought better of it. If Buttercup had told the others about what he'd done they probably wouldn't be too happy to see him.  
  
So he'd stay here for the night, at least he could find a room with a nice and comfortable bed as opposed to the beanbag he slept in at home. So he headed off down one of the many hallways to find an empty bedroom and crash in it, pulling the covers up to him chin. He was almost asleep when he heard the window creek open, a figure floating inside.  
  
"Who's there?!" He asked quickly, shooting up from the bed. The pale light of the moon reflected off of Blossoms dark red eyes. Actually they looked darker than he remembered, but he attributed that to a bad memory and the inadequate lighting. What he saw though was kind of alarming. Her red dress was cut and rumpled all over, she was even bleeding in a few placed. There was a huge black bruise under her left eye, nearly swelling it shut. "What happened to you?"  
  
"They..." She gulped, shaking her head and floating to the floor, landing on her knees. "Everyone else..."  
  
"What?" He asked, forgetting for the moment that he was supposed to kill her. He flew over quickly, getting down on one knee beside her.  
  
"They're all dead!" She exclaimed suddenly, throwing her arms around his neck and sobbing into his shoulder. "They killed them and replaced them... I barely got away but everyone else..." She said in a high, squeaky voice.  
  
"What on earth are you talking about?" Boomer asked confusedly.  
  
"The... The Necromancer he... Made clones from our DNA and... they killed everyone... except me..." Blossom sniffled, holding onto him tightly. The concept ran through his mind in a torrent. Clones? It sounded like something out of a bad book... "I don't want him to kill me too..." She sniffled, holding him tighter.  
  
"It's okay... He... won't..." Boomer replied softly, still trying to assimilate all of this. How did she know he was even there? "How did you know to find me here?" He asked her. He didn't mean to sound untrusting, but this was almost too much to take at face value.  
  
"I saw you in the window of the plane after I ran away from them... I followed you here... I don't want to be alone right now..." She said. This whining didn't really sound like the way Blossom would talk at all, but then again from what she was saying she HAD been through a lot. That kind of ordeal would change someone...  
  
"It's okay, you don't have to be..." He said, putting his arms around her now as well. Only now did what she was saying begin to penetrate... the others were dead, his brothers... replaced by some stupid clones? How had they been beaten? A lot of this didn't make sense, but there was no way he could doubt Blossoms sincerity right now.  
  
He took a deep breath as he ran a comforting hand through her hair, almost the color of a cherry in the pale moonlight. All he could do was see what tomorrow would bring... See if there was any way they could do something about these clones... For tonight, they would just rest...  
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"Isn't this the part where she tells him to help her attack the others in their sleep? Finish them off?" James asked irritably as his partner just watched the scene in a pool of molten lava. He didn't like the way Him was handling all of this, it seemed too roundabout. He was making too many assumptions.  
  
"Patience." Him replied in his soft, dulcet voice, his eyes narrowing at the scene in front of him. "We must give them the night so that he will trust her completely. THEN he will be ready to help her fight the other Powerpuff Girls, and the Rowdyruff Boys."  
  
"There's one thing I don't think you took into account." The Necromancer shot back mockingly. "Even with Princess' armor it'll be two against five, they don't stand a chance." He pointed out.  
  
"I suppose I shouldn't expect much from a short sighted mortal." Him said coolly as the scene in the pool began to change. "That is why I will go after the weakest link first..." He finished, his voice growing darker with every syllable. "To divide... and... CONQUER." He said as the scene in the pool solidified into an image of Butch, sleeping restlessly on his beanbag.  
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"Yeeaaaah. This is the life." Butch said, smiling happily to himself and kicking back on his float. He was floating in a huge swimming pool he'd bought with his newly attained fortune, a ring of girls sat on the outside, looking pretty despite being kept out by the group of boys having fun in it. He let out a contended sigh, looking up at the sun through his shades.  
  
The sun was bright and warm, making all of the girls along the poolside begin to sweat slightly, wetting them down. Yep, nothing quite like a nice, relaxing float on his own private swimming pool. He could work on his tan and enjoy the sights.  
  
Suddenly two pairs of hands grabbed his arms, holding him to the cold hard cement that had replaced the pool below him. He looked around in surprise at this, to see Bubbles and Buttercup each holding his hands in place. He struggled to free himself even as Blossom walked up to his legs, holding a huge mallet up in front of her.  
  
"What are you doing!?" He demanded, pulling against the two girls that held him there. "Let me go!" He pleaded even as Blossom raised the mallet above her head. "No... Stop! Let me go!" He howled fearfully. His cries fell on deaf ears however as the red-haired Powerpuff brought the mallet down, straight towards his legs.  
  
"NO!" He howled loudly, shooting up in his beanbag. He had to catch himself with his arms before he catapulted right off of it onto the floor. He looked around the room blankly until he realized he was still in his room... it'd only been a dream.  
  
He sighed wearily and put on hand to his head, feeling the cold sweat that he'd broken into. A nightmare... He hated those; they'd been keeping him up almost constantly ever since...  
  
[You became weak] He became weak... Without all of his body functioning, He was... [Useless to them] Useless to them. He couldn't even walk, or kick anything, let alone fight crime. [Why are you still here] Why was he still here? He couldn't help anybody; he was only being a burden to the others, especially Brick. [So you might as well leave] So he might as well leave, everybody would be better off if he did.  
  
He pushed his blanket off of himself and floated up off the bed, his useless legs dangling beneath him like logs as he floated into the living room, looking around. Where should he go? [Away... FOREVER] Away forever... There was only one way he could think of to do that... So he floated out of the tree house not looking back as his brother kept sleeping, oblivious to his departure.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Brick opened his eyes slowly the next morning, yawning and stretching in the light of the morning sun. Groggily he pushed himself up off his beanbag, floating out to the living room instead of walking so he wouldn't stumble into anything.  
  
He floated over to his brothers' room to make sure he was alright. He'd been really depressed lately, for obvious reasons. That whole ordeal had really run him through a loop.  
  
When he peeked inside the door he saw nothing except a slept in beanbag in the center of the room. He'd probably just woken up before Brick, a good sign considering he'd been sleeping until nearly one o'clock in the morning all week. Maybe he was finally starting to get back to his old self?  
  
Still something kept nagging at him, if he was up then where was he? He rarely left the house these days, and he couldn't turn invisible or anything... so where had he gone to?  
  
The more he thought about it, the more worried he became. In the state he was in right now he wouldn't put it past his brother to do something really drastic. That could mean worse things than moping and being generally depressed.  
  
Quickly he streaked out of the small house, not bothering with the door. Nobody knew where the house was, besides, they had nothing to steal. He went to the girls house as fast as he could, leaving a long crimson trail behind him as he flew.  
  
Within a few minutes he reached the girls house, knocking on the front door and waiting anxiously. Finally Miss Keane answered, immediately noticing the worried look on his face.  
  
"Brick? What's the matter?" She asked worriedly.  
  
"Has Butch been around here at all?" He asked quickly, not even waiting for an answer before floating past her into the kitchen, where the girls were at the table eating.  
  
"No he hasn't, is something wrong?" Miss Keane questioned him as she followed him into the kitchen. The Powerpuff Girls turned to watch him curiously as well.  
  
"I woke up this morning and he wasn't there, I'm kind of worried about him." Brick replied, looking back at the girls, specifically Buttercup, seeking some kind of assurance that he was okay.  
  
"Well we'll certainly tell you if we see him." Miss Keane told him gently, putting one hand on his back. "I'm sure he's just getting breakfast or something. He'll be back any time now."  
  
"I guess..." Brick replied, not sounding convinced at all. He took one last look around the kitchen, and at the girls before turning back to the door. "Well thanks anyway I guess."  
  
"We'll keep an eye out for him." Miss Keane assured him as he opened the front door again. Before anyone could say anything Buttercup streaked up to him from the table.  
  
"I wanna help you look for him." She told him quickly, ignoring the surprised stares she got from Miss Keane and her sisters.  
  
"Buttercup? Why?" He asked her in surprise. She bonked him upside the head for the question.  
  
"Do you even need to ask you big dope?" She asked him a bit testily. Miss Keane glared at her.  
  
"Buttercup, now you be nice!" She said.  
  
Brick rubbed his head gently, just staring back at her for a few minutes before finally returning her sly smile. "I guess not..." He replied. She winked at him slyly before he turned back to the others. "We're gonna go look for him, please let us know if you see anything!" Miss Keane and the other two girls nodded seriously before him and Buttercup turned to fly away from the house.  
  
His mind raced as they flew through the air, not even having a real destination. What was going on? First Boomer attacks his girlfriend and vanishes, then Butch just disappears into thin air. He didn't know if he could take much more of this, why did his family keep disappearing?  
  
"Brick? Are you alright?" He heard Buttercup ask softly from beside him. This alone was odd since she rarely said anything softly. After a moment he realized his eyes had been tearing up, so he quickly wiped the back of his sleeve across them to dry them.  
  
"I'm fine." He replied, a bit surprised when he found his voice shaking slightly. He cleared his throat softly before continuing. "Just thinking is all..."  
  
Well it'll be okay." Buttercup told him comfortingly as she flew closer to him to put a hand on his shoulder. "We'll find that ungrateful little prick Butch soon. Then we'll grab Boomer, smack some sense into him, and take HIM home too." She said.  
  
He looked over at her and smiled slightly. She was right; they'd find his brothers wherever they'd hidden themselves. He had no reason to think they were... They'd find them... they had to.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Boomer woke up stiff from the uncomfortable position on the floor he'd stayed in all night. Blossom had fallen asleep quickly leaning on him, pinning him there. He could only guess she'd passed out from the wounds and the trauma she'd suffered that day. Things still weren't all that clear to him even after a not so restful sleep.  
  
She opened her eyes as he stirred beneath her and looked up at him. The bruise under her eye looked only slightly better, and the cuts and wounds over the rest of her looked like they'd scabbed over, beginning the healing process. The Powerpuffs and Rowdyruffs did tend to recover quickly.  
  
"How are you feeling?" He asked her, ignoring his own discomfort for the moment. She looked down at herself for a moment before looking back up at him and responding.  
  
"I'm fine..." She said softly, pushing herself off of him shakily. He had to reach out quickly and grab her by the shoulders before she collapsed to the ground.  
  
"No you're not." He told her firmly, making her sit on the couch.  
  
"We can't afford to rest... The clones are out there... terrorizing everybody... we have to stop them!" She told him, grabbing his arm to make him listen to her.  
  
"How? There are only two of us..." He told her.  
  
"With my help..." He whirled to see Princess standing in the door, watching them glumly. This was a stark contrast to her normal self-confident/snobbish attitude. Something was definitely going on with her, but it didn't matter right now. "With my suits." She elaborated.  
  
"Hey... that might work..." Boomer realized, looking over at Blossom out of the corner of his eye. "Why are you helping us though Princess? Don't you still want me to destroy her?" He asked her.  
  
"I have my reasons." She replied, sounding unusually calm and collected. Now he DEFINITELY knew something was up, he just wished he knew what. Well whatever it was, they did have to do something about these so-called clones.  
  
"We don't have much time. Townsville need us!" Blossom said bravely. This sounded more like the Blossom he knew, so last night HAD just been a revealing time for her. There was no longer any doubt this was Blossom. They had to do something about this threat, now, before they hurt someone.  
  
"Follow me." Princess told them, not even waiting for a response before turning and leading them through the halls of the mansion to the same chamber as before. This time it held two metallic suits, one for him and the other for Blossom. Princess left while they got suited up, the armaments beginning to pulse with blue energy for him and almost blood red for her. He thought this was kind of strange, but just took it as a sign she was injured. He'd have to watch out for her carefully. Soon they'd have to head out to take care of the clones, it would be tough even with the armor... but he wouldn't let anybody ruin his brothers' good names.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Bubbles flew behind Blossom as they patrolled the city, the white blanket of snow transforming the normally lively city of Townsville into a beautiful landscape. The lights from the street lamps and shops all reflected off of the pure white substance, almost making it seem to glow even as she admired it. The cold winter air stung her lungs slightly, but she was able to ignore it for the most part. Though they had to stop for a rest more often than normal because of it.  
  
"What's that..." Blossom said as she looked off to one side. Bubbled looked as well, trying to make out two streaks as they flew toward them. One was red, maybe Brick, but the other was...  
  
"Boomer!?" Both girls exclaimed in surprise, halting in mid-air to see if it was true. They were both caught off guard when neither streak stopped, instead slamming into them with enough force to knock the air out of them. They were carried back almost across the length of the city and sent slamming into an abandoned warehouse by the shore.  
  
The girls slowly got to their feet, gulping air back into the lungs greedily as they looked up at their foes. Boomer floated in the same armor Buttercup had told them about, but beside him floated Cherry Blossom, wearing similar armor that pulsed a different color.  
  
"I thought we got rid of you!" Blossom exclaimed when she saw her other hovering over them beside boomer.  
  
"You'll pay for what you did to the others!" Cherry Blossom yelled angrily.  
  
"What others..." Bubbles asked confusedly.  
  
"Enough!" Boomer screamed, startling both Powerpuff Girls. Suddenly he streaked as Bubbles, slamming his fists into her stomach. She slammed into the cement floor with incredible force, sliding along it for a good fifteen feet before coming to a stop. Blossom was about to rush to her aid before Cherry Blossom lunged at her, keeping her busy.  
  
"What's going on... why are you fighting us?" Bubbles asked him as she got to her feet, taking up a fighting stance.  
  
"Don't try and pull that sh*t with me!" Boomer yelled furiously, lunging at her again. "You killed my brothers!" He screamed. Bubbles leapt upward in a blue streak just before his blow landed. She flipped nimbly through the air, landing behind him perfectly even as his fist plunged into the ground, sending up bits and pieces of concrete every which way..  
  
"We didn't kill anybody!" Bubbles tried to reason with him, but he simply whirled as fast as he could, planting a solid kick to her stomach. The force of the blow sent her flying back into a pile of crates, plunging straight into them, breaking dozens of them.  
  
She shook her head to clear it, using her X-ray vision to take a look outside the pile. Boomer was walking calmly up to the pile of crates after her. Beyond him Blossom and Cherry Blossom were locked in a furious battle, easily told apart by the armor worn by the fake Powerpuff Girl.  
  
It didn't look like Blossom was winning though, obviously Buttercup hadn't been kidding when she'd said that armor increased his strength. How was she supposed to beat someone who was twice as strong as her? She didn't have any claws to fall back on...  
  
She was snapped out of her thoughts suddenly when Boomer plunged into the crates after her, landing a series of solid blows across her stomach, chest and face as he pushed her clear to the other side of the stack. He paid no heed as the entire stack tumbled inward on itself. Bubbles plunged out of the pile, slamming up against the wall behind it.  
  
She jumped to the side to avoid what would have been a finishing blow. She took to the air, flying up to the roof of the warehouse. Boomer took off after her in a moment once the momentum of his punch had stopped. She dodged him as best she could, trying almost desperately to keep out of his reach.  
  
What could she do now? She couldn't keep out of his way forever, and she couldn't call Buttercup and Brick for help because she had no idea where they were. She had to find a way to defeat him on her own...  
  
Even as she dodged another strike she heard an exclamation of pain from the other side of the warehouse. She risked a quick glance to ascertain the situation. Cherry Blossom was holding Blossom up off the floor by her throat, her other fist pulled back as far as it could go.  
  
"Blossom!" Bubbles screamed ever as the imposters fist plunged forward. The blow slammed dead on into Blossom face, sending her flying back across the length of the warehouse. It probably took only a few moments, but the whole process seemed to be slowed down to her eyes.  
  
"Hold on!" Bubbles yelled, darting down to kneel beside her, putting one hand behind her sisters head. "Hey, wha!" She exclaimed as a pair of arms grabbed her from behind, holding her arms in a death grip she couldn't break no matter how hard she tried.  
  
Boomer floated down in front of her, walking right up next to her, glaring at her furiously the whole time. "We didn't do anything to you... Why are you doing all of this Boomer?" Bubbles said, struggling against Cherry blossom who was holding her tightly.  
  
"We don't need fakes in this city." Boomer said darkly raising his own fist up behind him; similar to how Cherry Blossom had done before.  
  
"SHE'S the fake!" Bubbles exclaimed, jerking her head back towards Cherry Blossom. "She must have you tricked! She's the fake Powerpuff girl! You have to believe me, we didn't do anything!" Bubbles pleaded, almost in tears. For a moment he seemed to be considering her words, but ultimately his fist jetted forward.  
  
The impact sent her flying through the air out of Cherry Blossoms grasp. She felt her consciousness slipping even before she struck the ground, rolling limply along it for a few moments. The last thing she saw before she blacked out completely was Boomer and his new companion looking down at the two defeated Powerpuff Girls, looking righteous and proud of their accomplishments. She would have wondered about this, but her strength failed her too quickly for her to do anything.  
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Buttercup and Brick continue their search to find Butch, who seems to have vanished into thin air. Can they find him before he does something drastic? Even if they do, can they stop Him and The Necromancers plans with two Powerpuff Girls out of action, and both Boomer and Cherry Blossom to deal with? Also, what is Princess planning in that rich head of hers? The answers will come in the next chapter of Powerpuff Girls Episode 7: Dance With Darkness. In other words...  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	8. 107B- Honorbound

107B- Honorbound  
  
  
  
Boomer stood over the unconscious forms of Bubbles and Blossom, his mind racing with the implications of what he'd just done. He knew they weren't really the Powerpuff Girls, but it still felt wrong. That was the point of making them look like the girls he supposed, so nobody would stand up to them. There were still at least three more of them out there that they had to find, Buttercup and his brothers...  
  
Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Blossom walking up to her defeated clone on the ground, kneeling down and lifting her up by the blouse. She said some things, but he couldn't make them out before she once again dropped her to the ground with a dull thud.  
  
"What was that about?" He asked her curiously.  
  
"Nothing, just kind of weird you know? Like beating myself." She told him. He could understand that, he certainly wouldn't want to fight anyone who looked exactly like him. He looked down at his side as she took his hand, but her face still betrayed no emotion except for determination. Always the leader, even when she wasn't at a hundred percent. They did have to go though, find what was left and take care of them.  
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"Yeeeeessssss." Him hissed gleefully, his soft voice reaching an almost painful tone. "Just three more and we can dispose of our weapon, and the world will be mine!" He exclaimed, laughing loudly as he made his way over to the other side of the room.  
  
"Don't forget our deal though. Cherry Blossom was my creation, in exchange for all of this I get Boomer before you kill him, I need the Chemical X from him while he's ALIVE." The Necromancer pointedly reminded his partner, who seemed to be ignoring him pretty much completely. "Are you listening to me?"  
  
"Chemical X, a physical creation prone to fallibility." Him said, turning to look back at The Necromancer with pulsing yellow eyes. "Wouldn't it be so much more fun if you were TRULY immortal?" He asked. "In mind and body."  
  
"What are you talking about? What do you know about genetics?"  
  
"I know everything about everything. Chemical X may make your body ageless, but your mind will eventually whither and fall apart. It may not happen within the next hundred, two hundred, or three hundred years, but it will happen." Him replied. All aspect of his soft self was gone by now, reverting completely tot he dark, grumbling Him.  
  
"If the girls WILL die naturally why not just wait for that to happen? Surely three-hundred years is nothing for a being such as yourself." The Necromancer asked.  
  
Angrily Him thrust one claw back. It clamped around The Necromancers neck and pinned him to the wall, the claws gouging pieces out of it as his captive struggled against it. "My reasons aren't yours to know." He growled deep in his throat. His captive nearly passed out before he was finally released, falling to the floor gasping for air.  
  
Him turned back to the pool as it followed Boomer and Cherry Blossom away from the battlefield to search for their next victims. This would be the day he would eliminate all three Powerpuff Girls, and claim his rightful place at the head of existence itself.  
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Buttercup looked over at Brick worriedly as they continued their search pattern. He was getting more and more frantic every second, not that she could really blame him. She would be going nuts too if her sisters had both vanished, no matter what she often said to the contrary. It'd been a rough time for him lately, and she probably should be there for him... not that she just wanted to play the good little girlfriend...  
  
"I don't see him anywhere." Brick said softly, unable to hide the slight waver that came to his voice as he spoke. When she got her hands on Butch she'd kill him for putting her boyfriend through all of this.  
  
"Don't worry about it, we'll find him." She tried to assure him, but she knew he wasn't paying real attention. She hated it when he ignored her like that, but again she could understand why in this situation. Any other time she'd have had to kick his butt for it.  
  
She gave a small sigh and resumed looked around at the city, not really expecting to find anything. A few people went about their business on the snow-covered streets below while the few birds that remained during the winter flew through the sky effortlessly. People, birds, Butch...  
  
Butch!? She halted immediately, looking back where she thought she'd caught a glimpse of the green Rowdyruff Boy. Finally she spotted him again, floated up near the spike on top of the City Hall.  
  
"You don't think..." She said softly, her voice beginning to shake more and more as they watched. Butch floated up close to the spire, not moving his legs or arms as he slowly moved above it, looking down at it calmly.  
  
"I don't know but I don't want to find out!" Brick exclaimed. They both took off in a flash just as Butch let himself fall toward the spike. It seemed to take far too long for the two to get to him, even though it was less than a second. Brick reached him first just before he plunged onto the spike, throwing both boys over the city hall and to the cement ground below.  
  
"Are you guys okay?" Buttercup asked as she floated down after them more slowly, the crisis averted. Brick got to his feet slowly, rubbing the back of his neck while Butch just sat up on the ground, propping himself up on his hands.  
  
"Huh? What happened?" He asked confusedly.  
  
"What did you think you were doing?" Buttercup asked angrily, kicking him in the side with little enough force not to do any damage. "You've got A LOT of explaining to do!"  
  
"Ow, hey, watch it." Butch retorted grumpily. "How did I get out here... last thing I remember I was waking up last night, then..." He stopped for a moment to take a look around at his surroundings. "You guys tackled me."  
  
"You don't remember anything?" Brick asked. "You just about impaled yourself up there!" He pointed angrily up to the top spire of the City Hall. Butch followed his gaze with wide eyes.  
  
"Impaled? No, why would I do something dumb like that?" Butch replied, floating up off the ground so he didn't have to look up at them.  
  
"You were just about to!" Buttercup shouted back, obviously getting riled up. Brick put one hand on her shoulder to calm her down.  
  
"We need to figure out what's going on here, not fight... Now we found Butch, that's what we came out here to do. We should get back to your house and let everyone know we found him." He said reasonably. Buttercup humphed a bit, but nodded in agreement while Butch just looked confused.  
  
"Let's go then." Buttercup said dryly before taking off into the sky, not waiting for the other two to follow her, she knew they would. Maybe now she could get home and finish breakfast. She hated false alarms interrupting breakfast, even though this one hadn't REALLY been false. Well whatever, everything was fine and dandy now.  
  
When they reached Miss Keane's place they found nobody home. All they found was a note from Miss Keane saying "I've gone to the store, be back soon".  
  
"I guess Blossom and Bubbles went with her." Butch assumed, shrugging as the letter. The other two could only agree, they had no reason to think anything had happened while they were gone. Still something in the back of Buttercups mind kept nagging at her, a feeling...  
  
"I don't know... Maybe we should go look for them. With the way things have been going today I don't want to take any chances." Buttercup said. Neither of the boys even wanted to try to contradict her, they knew she wasn't in the best of moods right now. So they nodded and simply followed her out of the house to search the city for her missing sisters.  
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"Ooohhhh..." Blossom opened her eyes wearily, squinting as a myriad of random, infinite colors seemed to pierce right through her eyes like daggers. Finally she managed to pry them all the way open as she pushed herself up off the ground. She was lying on a small island of land that floated amid a sea of colors in every direction. They swirled and danced around each other in a seemingly endless pattern, never repeating, but always moving.  
  
"Awake now Blossom?" She whirled around in surprise, nearly throwing herself off the island to see a boy standing behind her. He looked to be about eight years old, wearing a dark red shirt with black pants and a blue denim jacket. His pitch-black hair was slicked back and his blue eyes seemed to glow slightly, matching the colors that surrounded both of them.  
  
"What's going on? Where's Bubbles?" Blossom asked immediately as she stood up in front of him, feeling a lot better suddenly. She didn't even care how he knew her name or where she was; she was just worried about what had happened to her sister.  
  
"Bubbles is fine, she's already meeting with my parents." He assured her. She didn't know him, and couldn't be sure that he wasn't trying to trick her, but somehow she knew he was telling the truth. Bubbles was fine.  
  
"Where is this?" Blossom asked now that her concerns for her sister were settled somewhat. This did look like a strange place.  
  
"This is Eternity." The boy replied, giving her a moment to assimilate that piece of information before feeding her more. "And before you ask... Yes, you are dead." He said smirking. Obviously he got a lot of stunned questions about that.  
  
"Dead... " Blossom said softly, looking down at her hands. She looked alive enough. "What about Buttercup and Butch and all of them? What's happening to them? We have to warn them about Boomer!" She said.  
  
"Just follow me." The boy told her, ignoring her rants about warning people and saving them. She got the feeling he'd long gotten used to people pleading to go back to life for one reason or another, so just tuned it out. It made sense when she thought about it, but she still didn't like it.  
  
"Who are you then?" She asked him, thinking that maybe she could get to know him a bit, become friends, then he'd send her back.  
  
"My name is Derain." He replied, not looking back at her. So much for that idea, he seemed about as friendly as Princess in one of her moods. So she just walked on behind him, marveling at the world around her. They didn't really seem to be walking, but rather the island they stood on floated through the vast sea of colors. It was a very disorienting experience, one she didn't care to repeat after it was over.  
  
Finally they reached a huge palace built on top of what must have been the central island of this place. It looked perfect in every way; the huge stones were polished and glittering in the brilliant rainbow around them. They seemed to extend up into the rainbow sky forever, there was no top.  
  
He ignored the view though as they walked into the island. The small island they'd been travelling on seemed to meld into this one rather than stopping like a boat. Curiously Blossom took a step outside of the Palace Island, and the small island they'd been on reappeared to keep her balanced, weird.  
  
"Are you coming?" Derain asked irritably from over by the main entrance, which stood open waiting for her. Quickly she rushed back to him, smiling apologetically before they went inside. They emerged into a huge throne room with two people sitting upon the thrones, one man and one woman.  
  
The man had jet-black hair like the boys, but it was let loose to hang around his head wherever it pleased. He wore a black sweater and pants, with a dark red cloak slung over his shoulder. His eyes almost seemed completely black. The woman sat in stark contrast with him; a snow white blouse tucked into a pair of light blue pants. Even her hair was completely white as it hung down her back to her shoulder-blades. Her eyes were a light blue and twinkled kindly as she watched the Powerpuff Girl enter.  
  
"Welcome." The woman said in greeting, smiling so as not to frighten her guest. Blossom smiled back politely, just then noticing Bubbles was already in the center of the room looking back at her. "We hope you feel well after your journey here."  
  
"Sure sure..." Blossom replied, walking over to stand beside her sister. "What's going on here?" She whispered to Bubbles.  
  
"Beats me." Bubbles whispered back. "I just got here a few minutes ago. That's Damien and that's Deliah." She said, pointing to the man and woman in turn.  
  
"Now that your both here, I just want to greet you properly." Deliah said, bowing courteously.  
  
"Yeah, hi... Listen, I'm still a little bit confused about all of this, so could you tell us what's going on please?" Blossom asked. Deliah smiled understandingly.  
  
"Of course, you are confused." She looked past the two girls at Derain waiting in the doorway. "Leave, and shut the door behind you." The boy looked taken aback at first, but nodded courteously without a word and turned to leave, closing the door firmly behind him.  
  
"The truth is, this is a very grave time for your whole world." Deliah told them softly, her gaze never leaving them for an instant. "Even now Him is preparing to finish off the last of you."  
  
"Buttercup?" Blossom asked worriedly. "But why does he always want to come after US? Why can't someone else kick his butt every now and then?"  
  
"Because they can't... Only you." Damien said. The two girls stared at him blankly until finally Deliah spoke again.  
  
"Many eons ago, in the last Millenia, God and Satan were killed in a battle with Pandora. Heaven and Hell were destroyed, reduced to desolate wastelands. One demon refused to give up his path of pure darkness and breathed life back into hell, stoking the flames and rekindling the dark fires that burned in the world. But Heaven still was dark..."  
  
"So... that's why there are so many villains and so few heroes!" Blossom exclaimed. "Townsville alone has Mojo Jojo, Princess, Fuzzy Lumpkins, Femme Fatale, The Ameba Boys, and The Gangrene Gang, but until recently has had only us Powerpuff Girls as heroes!"  
  
"Precisely, and we could not keep him from influencing the world. He kept poking his power through and causing mischief... So we made a bet with him. We would choose three guardians to represent Earth, and he would try to defeat them without direct confrontation with himself." Deliah said.  
  
"But he DID fight us awhile ago." Blossom pointed out.  
  
"You attacked him remember?" Deliah said. "He was able to write that off as self defense.  
  
"Oh yeah..." Blossom grumbled.  
  
"So... You chose US?" Bubbles asked, finally hearing a part of the conversation she could comprehend.  
  
"Yes, it was easy to nudge the spoon just an inch to the right... three heroes, pure of heart and strong of body. You did well up until now, but now you two are gone and your sister is in grave danger. If Buttercup dies... The world dies with her." Deliah told them seriously.  
  
The girls just stared up at the pair on the throne, trying to assimilate just exactly what this meant. "But wait..." Blossoms aid softly. "Then... Wouldn't we have to fight forever?"  
  
"No, the time limit is two hundred years after your births." Both girls' jaws dropped at this. Two hundred years? But Blossom guessed it didn't matter now if they were both already dead, still...  
  
"Can't you send us back?" Bubbles asked the question before Blossom could force her tongue to make the words. This was all just too much to take in.  
  
"No, we swore we would not interfere like that." Deliah told them regretfully. Blossom almost swore she heard a soft voice come from behind her.  
  
"They may not be able to... but nobody said anything about me..." Her hypersensitive hearing picked it up somewhere behind her, near the main entrance. Who was that?  
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Derain turned away from the main chamber of the palace, walking through the hallways with his head bent down thoughtfully. His parents Damien and Deliah may have sworn to do nothing, but he'd never even known about this deal until today, and wasn't part of it. He guessed he WAS allowed to do something about this... indirectly of course. All he had to do was tell the remaining Powerpuff Girl and Rowdyruff Boys about the thing that could bring back Blossom and Bubbles.  
  
The thing that could accomplish pretty much anything really... Only a few denizens of Eternity knew of its location. Few were trustworthy enough to know the secret, but if he could trust anybody he assumed it was these Powerpuff Girls.  
  
"Derain." A high, almost flutelike voice hailed him from the side. He looked to see his guardian, Seraphim, flying up to him as fast as she could. She was vaguely human looking except only about the size of a grown mans hand. She wore no clothing either, but on her back a pair of intricately decorated gossamer wings fluttered, nearly invisible while she was in flight.  
  
"Yes?" He asked irritably. He couldn't let her know where he was going, she would tell somebody then he couldn't go.  
  
"You look like you have a lot on your mind." She told him, smirking.  
  
"You have no idea... now please leave me alone." He told her gruffly. He generally didn't mind her company, but this was important, he had to move fast.  
  
"I don't think so... I know that look in your eye." She said, grinning as she landed on his shoulder. "I'm sticking around until I decide you can control yourself." She said. He just sighed to himself irritably; wishing his parents trusted him more so he wouldn't have to deal with this.  
  
"Fine." He replied, smirking back at her and watching her out of the corner of his eye as he walked. "Just don't complain about what I do." He said, heading off away from the palace. Despite what he thought she'd do he got no objection from her, maybe she understood this was for everyone's good?  
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"Oh my god..." Buttercup whispered softly as she knelt down beside her sisters in an abandoned warehouse on the edge of town. They both were just lying on the cement, unmoving; she couldn't even hear their hearts beating in their chests. "Wh... what happened..." She asked nobody in particular. She received no answer as she continued to just stare, unable to move her gaze away from the terrible site. They looked the same as they had that morning, but paler and... more still...  
  
"Who did this..." She croaked out, looking back at the two boys who were hovering right behind her. They both shrugged immediately and floated back away from her. "I want to know who did this!" She howled almost evilly, her voice sounding almost like a demons roar in the almost empty warehouse. Her eyes stung painfully as tears began to slide down her cheeks.  
  
Before any of them could say anything a voice from behind the last Powerpuff Girl answered. "We did." She whirled around faster than anyone could follow. Boomer floated beside the girl who'd spoken, a girl Buttercup recognized instantly. They both appeared to be wearing the same armor she'd seen on Boomer before.  
  
"You again!" She howled hatefully, her eyes practically pulsing with her rage as she faced Cherry Blossom. "YOU did this to my sisters!?" She howled.  
  
"Boomer... What are you doing dude?" Brick asked, more in control of himself than Buttercup was at the moment. "You helped her do this?"  
  
"Don't try to fool me." Boomer said, taking up a fighting stance while Cherry Blossom did the same beside him.  
  
"I'll show you who the fool is you little..." Buttercup growled under her breath, moving to streak forward. Brick caught her shoulder before she could take off though, holding her back.  
  
"Stay back this time Buttercup, you're in no condition to fight right now." He told her gently. She knew he was worried, but right now at this moment, she didn't really care.  
  
"F*CK THAT! These two are mine!" She screamed, ripping her shoulder out of his grasp and lunging at the two that floated in front of her. They both lunged to the side as she passed, barely stopping herself before she slammed into the far wall. She whirled again as the boys came up the other side of the two, trapping them in the middle.  
  
"You might as well give up! It's three against two!" Brick told them reasonably. Cherry Blossom put her left hand on her right arm, straightening it out. With a metallic clink a three-foot blade slid out of the end of the arm, gleaming sharply.  
  
"I can take you two." She said confidently, raising the blade in front of her. Her and Boomer got back to back, her facing the other Rowdyruff boys, and Boomer facing against Buttercup.  
  
"Come on you bastard..." Buttercup growled her challenge as he lunged at her, the armor glowing brightly in the dim warehouse. She plunged down instead of up, surprising him. She then shot right back up again like a spring, planting the biggest uppercut she'd ever managed right on his chin. The force of it sent Boomer flying into the roof, a shower of dust and debris raining down upon the rest of them.  
  
Buttercup wasted no time in darting up after him, slamming one fist solidly into his gut and punching him straight through the roof. Her pummeling continued as he flew threw the air, the adrenaline and anger rushing through her body making her easily three times as power as she normally was. Her blows however were made less effective by his armor, and she could only keep up such a frantic pace for a short time.  
  
Finally he fought back, grabbing both of her fists with his own and slamming one knee into her gut, doubling her over. He took both of her arms in his, flipping her over his head before plummeting back toward the warehouse again. He halted just before he plunged into it, sending Buttercup hurtling through the roof with incredible speed. She broke through the ceiling easily and slammed into the cement floor, gouging a six-foot hole into it.  
  
She grunted painfully as she pushed herself up to her feet, looking up through the new skylight as Boomer streaked down after her. She threw herself to the side just before he struck her, expecting his momentum to throw him against the floor. He simply stopped inches above the ground and streaked at her without missing a beat. His fist slammed into her jaw, sending her flying through the far wall again.  
  
She growled angrily deep in her throat. There was no rational thought in her mind right now, no calculations about how to beat him, no plans or possibilities. Just the primal need to beat him, to get rid of him, to avenge both of her sisters. She let out an animalistic grunt as she thrust herself at him again.   
  
They met in a whirlwind of punches and kicks, counters and throws. For a moment neither could get the upper hand on the other. They simply danced in a graceful pattern of strikes and dodges, weaving around each other almost gracefully. Finally one of his strikes got through and he slammed one fist into her stomach, heaving her back into the warehouse again through the wall.  
  
She stumbled as she tried to get to her feet again; no longer able to even think straight, not like she wanted to anyway though. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Butch and Brick trying to find a way inside Cherry Blossoms defenses, but the blade on her arm made any kind of real assault impossible. Butch already had several gashes along both legs, thought hey probably didn't hurt.  
  
She turned her attention back to her own opponent as he approached her slowly, his armor pulsing with a soft blue light in time with his movements. Suddenly he lunged again, several hard blows to the chest stunning her and one final kick sending her up against the far wall again.  
  
She grunted painfully, and opened one eye. Brick and Butch were both trying to hold Cherry Blossom in place, gripping the arm with the blade, as she fought to free herself. Both of the boys eyes pulsed lightly before their heat rays fired, striking the upper part of the blade, trying to get rid of it.  
  
In a fury Cherry Blossom thrust her arm forward out of their grasp. The blade, weakened by the heat rays, snapped off and flew across the warehouse in a great arc, the light from the windows reflecting off of it brilliantly. It arced through the air, plunging straight into Buttercups stomach, nailing her to the wall.  
  
She gasped with surprise when she felt it enter her, her eyes going wide with shock. She tried to move after a moment, but she was rapped there like a fly tacked to a piece of cardboard.  
  
"Buttercup!" Brick shrieked, reaching her side before his echo even died out of the air. "Oh my God... You'll be okay! Don't worry!" He told her even as his own voice began to rise with panic. He looked like he wanted to do something, but had no clue what.  
  
Buttercup thrust one hand out to put it on his shoulder, gulping a bit before speaking in a soft voice. "Pull the... damn thing... out..." She gasped out, glaring at him seriously. He nodded quickly and gripped the part of the blade that hadn't gone through her. He slowly began to pull, careful not to scrape the edges of the wound and make it worse.  
  
Buttercup's grip on his shoulder tightened painfully and a grunt of pain escaped her lips until he finally pulled it out, dropping it to the cement below them. Quickly he grabbed her before she could collapse, holding her steady as she tried to keep floating, though she looked weak as she held the wound across her stomach.  
  
"You..." Brick said darkly, turning to face Boomer who'd been watching the whole time with an almost confused expression on his face. "Do you STILL think we're some stupid clones or something?" He demanded, his voice cracking before he grabbed Buttercup and finally just held her to him, her legs wrapped around her waist and her head leaning on his shoulder weakly.  
  
"But... She said..." Boomer said, his voice wavering slightly as he looked back and forth between Brick and Cherry Blossom. The fight had halted for the duration of the exchange while everyone turned to see what was going on with the last of the Powerpuff Girls.  
  
"SHE is the clone!" Brick screamed at him, making him flinch. He turned to look at Cherry Blossom again, this time taking note of all of the differences, not just passing it all off.  
  
"You... You tricked me into..." He whispered, going pale when he suddenly realized what this meant. "I killed..." He looked down at Blossom and Bubbles on the ground in shock, barely seeming to register this.  
  
"They're tricking you! Don't let them!" Cherry Blossom warned him quickly, only to receive a quick punch from Butch.  
  
"You... Made me..." Boomer said darkly, his fists shaking with rage as he turned toward Cherry Blossom. "YOU tricked me into this!" He howled as streaks of electrical energy began surging through his veins. "Come on!" He shrieked as he suddenly darted toward her, the power building up inside him even as he flew.  
  
Cherry Blossom braced herself, but no amount of bracing could save her from his onslaught. His fists pounded into her like hammers, each strike sending another surge of electricity pulsing through her. Finally she slammed into the floor, sending up a cloud of dust and debris from the force of the impact. He didn't stop however, winding up one more punch, his fist glowing brightly with pent up rage and electricity.  
  
He thrust his fist forward mightily. It plunged through her chest easily, punching straight through to the floor underneath. She gasped in surprise; her eyes going wide only for a moment before she went limp on the floor, her eyes closing silently.  
  
He pulled back his fist as the other two floated down to the floor, Brick still holding Buttercup tenderly as he landed. Boomer turned toward them, looking down at the floor shamefully.  
  
"I'm sorry you guys... I've been nothing but... Just stupid for a long time..." He said softly, gulping.  
  
"Don't worry 'bout it." Butch replied, not landing for obvious reasons.  
  
"Buttercup?" Brick said softly, running one hand through her hair against his shoulder. "Buttercup come on." He said more quickly, shaking her. She groaned softly and squirmed against him weakly. "Stay awake! Come on, I'm getting you to a hospital right... now?" He stated as all three boys looked up to see the sky grow dark outside of the skylight Boomer had put in the roof. Dark clouds moved unnaturally quickly to cover the city, pulsing with thunder and lightning.  
  
"What's going on?" Butch asked confusedly as the doors to the warehouse opened and a boy stepped inside. He looked to be about nine-years-old, and had what almost looked like a fairy on his shoulder. A naked fairy at that.  
  
"Him is preparing to come to Earth and claim it." The boy said, smirking as he took a few steps inside. He looked the three boys over, his gaze finally settling on Buttercup. "I'm almost too late..."  
  
"Who are you?" Butch demanded.  
  
"My name is Derain, but that's all you need to know." The boy stated. "What I have to tell you is more important... If you want the Powerpuff Girls, and the world, to live you must go to a small island off the pacific coast... There's a volcano there."  
  
"Yeah, so?" Boomer said sarcastically.  
  
"There you can find the thing to bring the dead back to life." Derain replied.  
  
"Back to life?" Boomer asked. "I'm going to get it then, it's my fault Blossom and Bubbles..." He trailed off softly.  
  
"I'm not going anywhere except to the hospital with Buttercup." Brick announced. The others simply nodded at him before he streaked off through the roof. The other three faced each other squarely.  
  
"I would go... but I think I would only be a hindrance as I am..." Butch said, knocking on his legs. Boomer hadn't been around for that incident and had to be told what had happened. Once he knew, he was even more sorry he'd ever trusted Cherry Blossom.  
  
"It's going to be dangerous though, I wouldn't recommend going alone." Derain stated. "I cannot go because I'm not even supposed to be here technically..." He told them.  
  
"There's no one else, who would go with me?" Boomer asked. "I'm gonna have to go alone..."  
  
"Wrong!" They all looked up in surprise as someone floated down through the skylight with a yellow jetpack strapped to her back. She wore golden armor similar to the stuff Boomer still wore... It was Princess.  
  
"Princess? What are you doing here!?" Boomer demanded. She'd obviously been in on this whole thing, and he still wasn't happy about any of it.  
  
"I'm here to help you guys beat Him." She said, drawing a group of surprised stares. "Well if HE rules the world, what happens to ME? I'm nobodies slave!" She declared.  
  
"Should have guessed..." Butch mutter under his breath. "Selfish brat..."  
  
"I don't trust you." Boomer said simply, glaring at her.  
  
"Trust me or not I'm all you've got. Besides, who are YOU to refuse my help?" She retorted.  
  
"Someone who's smarter than he was a while ago." Boomer shot back, smirking darkly at himself. Finally he just shook his head and shrugged. "Fine suit yourself Princess, I can't stop you from following if that's what you really want to do..."  
  
"It is, and I WILL come with you. I want to make sure you don't mess this up!" She declared, pressing a few buttons on the panel on her chest, causing the jetpack to roar to fiery life once again. "So are you coming or not?"  
  
"Just who's supposed to be tagging along with who here?" Butch asked as he smirked at his blue brother. Boomer just shrugged back at him helplessly before turning to follow Princess out of the warehouse. This would be a long trip, but if everything Derain had said was true, it had to be taken.  
  
"Good luck!" He heard Butch shout from behind him just before he streaked out of earshot, following Princess in her jetpack.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
The Necromancer watched the pool below him with narrowed eyes as it showed Boomer and Princess taking off from the warehouse they'd been fighting in. Things obviously weren't going exactly like they'd hoped, but he still wouldn't say they were doomed just yet. Cherry Blossom was destroyed with several of the little buggers left... but she had killed two of the girls, and the third was on her way fast. He alone should be enough to take what was left of the boys.  
  
Him walked up beside him to look into the pool, his own eyes narrowing into yellow slits. "Any idea where they're trying to go?" The Necromancer asked drolly. "Like it matters..."  
  
"No, but I know I don't want them getting there." Him replied in his soft, dulcet tone of voice. There was nothing sweet about his demeanor however as he put his claws up in front of his face, pulsing with dark power. He thrust them forward suddenly, the power flowing from him to the ocean below the young travelers.  
  
"Meanwhile, I think I will go and make sure that last Powerpuff Girl doesn't make it." The Necromancer said as he turned away from Him. He didn't really like being someone elses subservient, but he couldn't argue with the results of this partnership. They were both so close to winning he could taste forever already.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Boomer looked down at the dark gray ocean below as he flew across it with Princess in tow. It'd begun raining shortly after the cloud-cover had arrived, and now both of them were soaking wet with no end in sight. He was a bit worried that the armors might short circuit and fry them both, but Princess had assured him that it would take a lot more than a little rain to short out these puppies.  
  
"How far is it?" Princess whined behind him for what must have been the millionth time. He was really wishing he HAD made her stay home by now.  
  
"How should I know? I've never been there!" Boomer snapped back at her irritably. He turned his head forward again while Princess looked down at the ocean disappointedly. What a spoiled little brat, couldn't be patient for anything.  
  
"Does the water look funny to you?" Princess asked him curiously. This was the first thing she'd said this whole trip that wasn't a whine. He looked down at the water beneath them curiously. Indeed, it did seem kind of strange. Like it was moving along with them... or at least something beneath the waves was... something big...  
  
Suddenly a long, sinuous tail shot out of the water, the end of it wrapping itself firmly around Princess' waist. She let out a surprised scream as it began to drag her down toward the water.  
  
"Princess!" Boomer yelled, darting over to her. He grabbed her hand and pulled up as hard as he could. He halted her progress completely, and even began to pull the entire monster out of the water. He looked down to see a monstrous head leer up at him and give a booming roar of challenge.  
  
"Get this slimy thing off of me!" Princess demanded, trying to pull herself free of its grasp. He tried to keep pulling, but one of the things huge flippers struck him flat on the side, sending him sailing through the air away from them. "Boomer!" She screamed as she was pulled down toward the water.  
  
"Princess!" Boomer streaked over to try again, but was batted away again just as easily as before. If the other boys were here they could take this thing, but it was too big for him alone. He could only watch helplessly as Princess was pulled under the waves. "Princess!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, hovering just above the waters surface.  
  
He stared down at the water, using his x-ray vision to see underneath the waves. It was hard since the water was toiling and waving, changing thickness, but he finally managed to find a point where he could see most everything. Princess was holding her breath and desperately trying to free herself from the tails grip while the monsters head coiled around to move closer to her. Her suit was sparking dangerously underneath the water.  
  
Suddenly it occurred to him that if rain couldn't short these things, an entire ocean certainly could. He had to get her out of there now. "Princess! Take off the armor!" He screamed as loud as he could, but he doubted she could hear him at all.  
  
Quickly he stripped himself of his own armor, leaving him in his normal clothing before he plunged into the ocean after her. He swam down to her still clutched in the things tail. Her face was scrunched up painfully, her mouth closed tightly, though he didn't think she could hold her breath much longer.  
  
A muffled roar to his side told him the monster was already on to him, he didn't have much time. He quickly took off Princess' gauntlets, ripping off the metallic covering. He could feel the electrical power surging through him before he planted it against the creatures' skin.  
  
The monster howled furiously, its entire body twitching spastically as the power tore through it. The tail let go of Princess for an instant, but that was all he needed. He grabbed her and heaved her away from the monster, ripping off her armor as he went. The last thing he needed now was for her to get electrocuted, but now he had to get her to the surface.  
  
He tried to get them to the surface, but in the struggle he'd lost his sense of direction, up and down were the same thing to him. He hoped he was going up, but he wasn't all that sure. Finally he broke the waters surface, gasping for air.  
  
He broke out of the water, flying quickly to the island that he'd spotted in the distance. He landed on the shore and collapsed, gasping for breath. Princess just lay on the sand; her eyes closed as she just lay there limply. "Princess?" He said worriedly, looking over at her.  
  
"Oh no you don't." He told her firmly as he crawled over to her. He could hear her heart still beating, but it was erratic and she wasn't breathing at all. "Wake up!" He ordered her, pounding on her chest desperately, though not too hard.  
  
He took a deep breath and pinched her nose quickly, putting his mouth to hers and breathing into her to get her lungs moving again. She coughed and sputtered, the water coming out of her mouth like a fountain. He quickly rolled her to her side so she could get rid of it.  
  
When she was finally done she just lay there weakly with her eyes closed, gulping in the fresh air greedily. She looked terrible. There were dark bags under her eyes and her clothing hung off of her somewhat plump frame surprisingly loosely. She didn't really move, just lying there limply.  
  
"Are you okay?" He asked her.  
  
She sputtered as she talked in a soft croak. "What... took you... So long?" She asked, opening one eye to glare up at him. He smirked back, realizing that was about as close as she would ever come to telling someone thank you.  
  
"You're welcome." He told her dryly as he plopped down on the sand beside her. He wasn't as bad off as her, but he could use a rest too after that. "We can rest a few minutes, then we have to reach that volcano." He said, getting no complaints from her. They were at the island, it should be a simple matter of flying to the cone and finding whatever it was they had to find...  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Brick stood beside the hospital bed silently, staring down at Buttercups sleeping face worriedly, as he had been for the past ten minutes. The doctor had told him the wound was bad, but the Powerpuff Girls had shown incredible healing potential in the past, so she should be fine with some rest and time. This was comforting, but only got him to thinking that he still should have done something before this happened, caught the blade or something...  
  
He blinked, somewhat surprised when she opened her eyes halfway, looking groggy. "How you feeling?" He asked her softly, brushing her pitch-black hair out of her eyes gently.  
  
"I feel like hell..." She replied just as softly. He smiled at this, resting one hand on her cheek. "'Course I probably look like hell too..." She said, smirking.  
  
"Nah... you only look like heck." Brick joked, making her chuckle softly. Anything more strenuous and she might hurt herself again. "Seriously you look fine." He assured her. She smiled up at him as the sky outside began to darken even more and the steady drizzle turned into a constant downpour. Lightning lit up the sky and thunder sounded loudly, making both of them turn toward the window.  
  
"I hate rain." Buttercup commented, frowning at the storm clouds outside. They both paused when they heard steady footsteps coming down the fire escape outside. They were slow and steady, every one of them seeming to echo through the room warningly. It could have been anyone, but Brick had no doubt who it really was.  
  
"Stay here!" He ordered Buttercup when she tried to sit up, quickly grunting painfully as she enflamed her wound. She glared up at him frowning, but nodded slightly and settled down again. He made sure she wouldn't follow before floating up to the window and opening it before floating outside.  
  
The rain soaked him instantly when he stepped out onto the steel fire escape. The footsteps were still on the level right above him. He could look through the floor to see what looked like a black cloak approaching the stairway that led down to his own level. He waited in a fighting stance for the black-cloaked figure to appear, carrying a scythe the length of his body.  
  
"I thought I'd dress appropriately for the occasion." James commented, raising the scythe in front of him and looking very much like Death himself. "Because your time has come. Yours and the girls"  
  
"You're not touching Buttercup." Brick told him darkly, rising his fists in front of him.  
  
"Do you really think you can beat me alone? I took on all three Powerpuff Girls at once, and you alone want to challenge me?" The Necromancer smirked at the very concept.  
  
"I would take on Him himself alone to keep her safe." Brick replied, not aware that he'd left the window open and Buttercup could hear every word he said. "You can bet I won't let you through." He said.  
  
"Well that's the fortunate thing... you don't have to let me!" The Necromancer replied as he thrust his scythe forward. A bolt of pearl-white lightning streaked forward, striking Brick squarely in the chest. He stumbled back as the surge tore through his body, amplified by the fact he was soaking wet from the rain.  
  
Brick threw himself over the side of the railing just before another bolt struck him, floating out over the alley they fire escape was perched over. "You forgot one thing! I don't have to beat you, I can just get rid of you!" Brick shouted at him, looking up at the bars that held the fire escape in place.  
  
The heat rays flew from his eyes, cutting through the metal bars like a blowtorch. It was only a few moments before they gave out from the strain; the metal creaking and scraping against itself as it collapsed to the ground below. The Necromancer threw himself off of it quickly, jamming the blade of his scythe into the far wall and hanging onto it.  
  
The Necromancer raised one hand toward the Rowdyruff Boy, a ball of pure black energy forming inside of it. Brick dodged it easily, firing another heat blast at the dangling figure only to have it reflect away to slam into the wall of the hospital.  
  
He tried to get in close enough to pound him, but the Necromancers shields and blasts were too much for him to safely maneuver around. Suddenly his opponent thrust his hand out again, this time sending a wave of pure crimson power surging toward him. It caught him, holding him in place in the air where he was.  
  
"Once I get rid of you, the girl will be easy pickings." The Necromancer told him darkly, smirking as he began to close his hand. The power slowly began to close in on him, crushing him with its force.  
  
Without warning another blast of heat vision flew from a hospital window, striking the wooden handle of James' scythe. It burst into flames quickly; startling him as it spread down the shaft, catching his robe on fire.  
  
"Jesus! What the hell! Get it off of me!" James howled as it spread along his robe. He flailed his arm in a panic, letting go of the scythe. The energy field around Brick dissipated as The Necromancer fell screaming down to the bottom of the alleyway. He vanished just before he struck the bottom in a dark cloud of smoke.  
  
Brick turned toward Buttercups window, seeing buttercup leaning against the windowsill weakly, smiling at him triumphantly. He floated back over to her, about to berate her for exerting herself when she fell backward.  
  
He grabbed her gently and laid her back on the bed gently, covering her up again while she smiled back up at him. "That was for my sisters..." She whispered to him.  
  
"Well... Don't go swearing by their graves yet, they just might be back." Brick told her. At her confused look he explained everything about Derain and that Boomer was even now going to try to bring them back.  
  
"I hope he does it." She told him, looking him in the eye seriously. "I'm glad you stayed here though..."  
  
"I wouldn't have left your side for anything in the world." He told her as he gently took her hand in his. "Because... Because..." He stuttered. She just shook her head and pulled him down to her to kiss him gently on the lips.  
  
"Whatever the reason... thank you." She told him when they broke the kiss.  
  
"You're welcome..." He replied softly, squeezing her hand. Everything would be fine, he knew it.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Princess sat on the beach calmly, feeling much better than she had earlier. She still didn't feel fine in the least, but she was getting there. She hoped to never have to go through something like that again, she vowed she would NEVER swim in anything more than four feet deep from now on.  
  
Curiously she looked over at Boomer sitting beside her. She didn't understand him, he would have been much better off if he'd just left her to the monster and come straight here, lord knows that's what she would have done, but not him. He'd given up his armor and precious time to save Townsville's greatest villain... or at least she thought she was the greatest.  
  
She looked up at the sky as it darkened even more, night must have been falling. Soon they wouldn't be able to see anything at all, they had better move fast. He probably would have had the girls back already if he'd left her... she was just too confused to not ask.  
  
"Why did you save me?" She asked him plainly. "I'm just a villain, and the time you've wasted because of me probably would have been enough to get the other girls back already."  
  
"Comes with the job description." Boomer replied. "Save everybody, good or bad. Besides, I'm technically still in your debt, remember?" He asked, looking over at her slyly. Was he toying with her? She didn't like being toyed with. SHE was supposed to do the toying.  
  
"Well that's right, you ARE still indebted to me for losing not one now, but TWO very expensive suits of armor." She reminded him snootily.  
  
"Two? I thought the tally was three now, I technically did throw your suit away too." He reminded her. Why was he helping her keep him in her service even longer? Was he going insane or something? He must have swallowed too much seawater.  
  
"What is your problem? Is your brain rotting or something?" Princess asked.  
  
"Nah, I've just gotten to know you better than anyone else... and I've figured a few things out about you. You're snobbish, and everyone hates you, but you're not evil." He told her.  
  
"What? Of COURSE I'm evil! I've tried to take over Townsville several times! And I hate the Powerpuff Girls!" Princess reminded him.  
  
"Well I hate the Powerpuff Girls too, does that make ME evil?" He asked reasonably. "Besides, just a few minutes ago I saw you like nobody else has ever seen you."  
  
"Yeah? And how is that?" She demanded, glaring at him.  
  
"Vulnerable." He replied, looking back at her seriously. "Well anyway we need to get moving now." He stood up then, holding his hand out to help her up. "I'm gonna have to carry you if we're going to make it before nighttime."  
  
She stared at his hand a few moments, wondering if she should really accept his help. Something about all of this seemed fishy to her, but he was right. If they didn't bring back the girls soon Him might come early and enslave everybody, including her. So she took his hand, letting him help her up before he picked her up, cradling her in his arms like a baby.  
  
She was about to protest, but then he took off at an incredible speed, flying through the air in a blue streak. Suddenly she wasn't so eager to anger him at such high altitudes, so she suffered the minor ego bruising that came from being carried like a baby. She'd NEVER been treated like this, even when she WAS a baby. She'd had her first walker at three months, and was her own girl ever since.  
  
In almost no time flat they reached the rim of the volcano, landing on the lip. The lava inside the cone bubbled dangerously, the heat making them both sweat furiously just from standing on the farthest part of the rim, and the lava itself was a good thirty feet below them. The rain hadn't yet reached this part of the island, so it was dry.  
  
"Well we're here, now what?" Princess asked.  
  
"I don't know, it would have helped if Derain had told us just what this thing was." Boomer replied, stepping up to the inner edge of the cone. "I'm going down there... See if there is anything."  
  
"Are you nuts? You'll melt!" Princess protested. Boomer looked back at her grinning mischievously, she knew what he was thinking. "Oh please, don't think I'm going soft, if you melt I get stranded here." She told him.  
  
"Right, welp, pray I don't melt then." Boomer told her before he stepped off the inner lip and floated down into the bowl. She ran over to the inner lip to watch him anxiously. The heat was making her sweat like nobodies business, and she hated it, but she couldn't stand not knowing what was going on.  
  
She watched as he floated down right above the magma, looking around for any sign of the thing that was supposed to help them. When nothing showed itself he cupped his hands around his mouth. "Anybody here!?" He shouted. It echoed around the bowl loudly for a long time.  
  
Finally the lava in the center of the cone seemed to raise itself up on its own. Boomer darted to the lip again before it could touch him, grabbing Princess' arm firmly. For a moment she thought he was being protective, but more likely he was just getting ready to bolt at a moments notice. They both watched a form separate itself from the magma, spreading out two appendages into the sky as two more clamped into opposite ends of the cone. It looked almost like a bird... a firebird...  
  
"A phoenix!" Princess exclaimed in surprise. The firebirds wings opened mightily, sending bits of magma flying through the air spectacularly as its booming cry sang through the deepening sky. Finally it calmed down and folded its wings, looking down at them with dark red eyes.  
  
[I am the guardian of the Gate of Eternity.] It told them, not speaking physically, but instead sending its thoughts directly into their heads. [You feel of one from there.] It informed them.  
  
"Must be Derain... We need your help! We need you to bring back two people... two girls!" Boomer told it.  
  
[I cannot bring back a soul without one to replace it. Two souls must go for two to return.] The phoenix told them simply.  
  
"Two souls..." Boomer whispered, looking down at the rim of the volcano. "No wonder Derain insisted more than one person come... He knew about this..."  
  
"So what does that mean? We have to sacrifice someone?" Princess asked. "Because I am NOT about to be sacrificed to some wannabe God."  
  
"We have no choice Princess." Boomer said, looking over at her. "We have to."  
  
"No! Forget it!" Princess said, turning away from him. "I am not some country bumpkin to be sacrificed to a volcano God!" She shouted.  
  
"Look, fine, I'll make a deal with you!" Boomer told her, grabbing her and forcing her to face him. "If you do this with me... If you come with me to wherever it is we're going to go... I'll be yours forever, okay?" He said.  
  
"What do you mean mine forever?" She asked.  
  
"Your slave, like I have been. I'll do whatever you want; my life will be yours forever once we do this. You'll have everything you want, you can have everything..." He told her seriously. "And you'll have me..."  
  
She stared at him for a few moments thinking this over. He'd be hers forever in a world where she could likely have whatever she wanted? It sounded too good to be true. She didn't know about the everything she wanted part, but she knew he'd keep to the part about him being hers... Whatever she wanted of him...  
  
She nodded slowly, staring back into his eyes. "Fine, I'll do it. But once we get wherever we're going, you are mine, forever."  
  
"That's why I said it." He said softly before turning back to the phoenix. "We are those souls. Bring back Bubbles and Blossom, and take us!" He told it.  
  
[Very well.] The phoenix said, spreading its wings again. They glowed brightly through the night, pulsing brighter and brighter until the two on the volcano lip had to look away or be blinded.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Blossom blinked in confusion as she sat up on the cement floor of the warehouse. Bubbles was beside her, looking equally confused. What had happened? The last thing she remembered she was fighting with Cherry Blossom again... Then she got hit really hard and then... nothing. She just blacked out.  
  
She got to her feet as best as she could. She felt really weak for some reason, like she'd been out for a really long time... what time was it? She looked around wearily. Bubbles looked about as bad as Blossom felt as she too looked around. Finally her gaze settled on Cherry Blossom on the other side of the room, lying still and pale on the ground, a fist sized hole in her chest.  
  
"What happened here? " Bubbles asked in amazement when she saw Cherry Blossom on the floor.  
  
"I don't know... we should go see what all's been happening while we were out!" Blossom told her blond sister. Bubbles nodded in agreement and they both flew through the skylight. It looked like a thunderstorm was just braking up, the city below them glimmered with wetness, like it'd just been raining really hard. Some parts of the city were even partially flooded. How had they slept through all of this?  
  
They went to their house first, finding a note taped to the door. "Gone to the hospital, be back later, Miss Keane".  
  
"The hospital!?" Blossom and Bubbles exclaimed together. Something must have happened. So they both took off immediately, heading for the Townsville hospital. When they got their they found Miss Keane sitting in the waiting room, waiting while the doctors and nurses went about their work.  
  
"What happened Miss Keane!?" Bubbles asked worriedly as the two girls floated up to her.  
  
"Oh, there you are girls. I've been wondering where you went... something happened to Buttercup while she was trying to protect the city." Miss Keane told them. "Don't worry though, the doctors say she'll be fine."  
  
"Oh? Why didn't anybody tell us!?" Blossom said angrily. Buttercup should know better than to try to fight on her own like that.  
  
"Can we see her?" Bubbles asked. Miss Keane nodded and the girls went back tot he room she indicated, opening the door slowly. Brick was still in their, huddled over Buttercup worriedly. At least that's what it looked like he was doing, the girls couldn't be sure.  
  
He looked up when he heard the door open and saw them, his mouth going wide. "You... You're alive!" He exclaimed. Immediately Buttercups eyes opened and looked over at them, lighting up immensely.  
  
"He did it... You're back!" She yelled happily, then seemed to instantly regret it as she clutched her stomach painfully.  
  
"Of course we are, what else would we be?" Blossom asked. "What has been happening around here?"  
  
"You don't remember?" Brick asked them.  
  
"It's probably for the best." Buttercup said, smiling. "We'll explain everything later girls... Come here." She said, holding her arms out almost like she wanted a hug. Blossom and Bubbles looked at each other in confusion, either their sister was going insane or there was another version of her. "Come on."  
  
Cautiously Blossom and Bubbles made their way over to her. They were engulfed almost immediately in her hug as she pulled them down, squeezing them both tightly. "I thought you were both dead..." She said softly.  
  
"Well... We're not..." Blossom told her confusedly, shrugging at Bubbles. She was really looking forward to being told what had been going on while they were out; it would undoubtedly be rather interesting.  
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"You... FAILED!" Him growled darkly at The Necromancer, who was standing in front of him badly burned and beaten in both body and ego.  
  
"My younger half is cocky and naïve." He said.  
  
"Feel lucky I don't tear you into those two halves." Him growled, turning away from him and looking over at the lava pool where the girls were reuniting. He had killed them, but they were back, and thus still alive technically. "You had better not fail me next time."  
  
"You talk like I am your servant to be ordered about." James replied, standing up.  
  
"Aren't you?" Him asked in his soft, disarming voice. He looked back at him, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Do not go against me..."  
  
"Of... Of course not." The Necromancer replied. He was strong, but he knew when he was outmatched. He was stuck, he'd made a deal with the devil and he wouldn't be let off the hook...  
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So the world turns. The Powerpuff Girls reunited and Buttercup and Brick are closer than ever. But Him is still plotting to win his bet and thus, the world. Butch and Brick searched for their brother when he never returned, but never found any trace. And what of Boomer and Princess? Well, they've settled into Eternity quite nicely. Princess is learning the meaning of feelings and Boomer is getting a lesson in dealing with girls. Truth be told, neither could be happier, though neither would ever admit it. So life turns, round and round as the Powerpuff girls always come out on top somehow in...  
  
THE END 


	9. 108- Specter Of The Night

108- Specter of the Night  
  
  
Townsville went about their daily routine as it did daily. People walking around the streets, going to work, shopping, dating, whatever it was they did every day. In the shadows of the alleyways of Townsville however the less orderly section of Townsville lurked, waiting for their chance to strike at the good citizens, and most of all, the Powerpuff Girls.  
  
Several of this element were gathered around their leader as they waited by the Townsville hospital. They'd had many scrapes with Townville's self-appointed guardians, and with each scrape they grew more and more tired of them. This time they were sure they'd at least get one of them out of their hair... as well as having a bit of fun with her on the side.  
  
Ace looked up at the hospital thoughtfully, then back down at his gang again. They were known throughout the city as The Gangrene Gang, the only gang this city had, all of the other villains were loners, and that set them apart. They were a motley bunch he knew, but they always got what they wanted one way or another, he'd make sure of it.  
  
"You all remember the plan, right?" Ace asked the rest of them to make sure they didn't mess it up once it was in motion. The rest of his gang nodded in response, anticipating this as much as he was except for maybe Big Billy, who hadn't been told what was going to happen. He had too much of a heart for this stuff.  
  
"Let'ss get thiss going." Snake hissed darkly, grinning maliciously. Ace grinned back and nodded slowly, turning to face the hospital again.  
  
"Alright boys, let's bag us a Powerpuff Girl..." He said as the group started toward the hospital. He had everything mapped out in his head, if the others did what they were supposed to this shouldn't be too much of a problem at all, then the reward would be theirs...  
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Buttercup looked up at the sky lazily with Brick right beside her. They were sitting on top of his tree house again now that nobody ever came around to bother them. Butch spent a lot of his time at the video arcade for some reason, and her sisters mostly stayed home doing one thing or another, so finally her and Brick wound up alone a lot...  
  
Of course right now he was still too worried about Boomer vanishing again to pay that much attention to her. Darn that boy, he always managed to mess her up, and he wasn't even around right now. Well in any case at least once Brick finally got around to looking at her they'd be alone for once.  
  
She looked over at him, wondering when he would get over his depressed state because of his brother again. To her Boomer was little more than just a troublemaker. He'd never caused anything but trouble. Why was Brick so worried about him? She didn't like to think he liked his brother more than her.  
  
She sighed again and looked up at the sky just before she heard him speak beside her softly. "Are you okay?" He asked as he crawled closer to her, looking down at her face softly. She wanted to tell him she was upset, that he was making her mad, but she just couldn't while looking into those shining crimson eyes.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine, just thinking is all." She replied just as softly. Man, she was going soft; she should have chewed him out just now. Ah well, at least he was focusing his attention on her now.  
  
"What about?" He asked as he sat down beside her, never once taking his eyes off of her face.  
  
"Nothing much..." She replied, putting her hands on her stomach as it started bothering her again. That was the fifth time this morning, it was really starting to bug her. She watched him as he crawled a bit closer to her again, lowering his face to hers.  
  
"Sorry if it seems like I've been distracted." He told her before he kissed her on the lips gently. "Not fun having your brother vanishes then reappearing then vanishing again..."  
  
"I know..." Buttercup replied. Well she might as well enjoy herself right now, so she forgot the talking and just pulled him down to her, kissing him gently. He didn't complain as he just put his arms around her, enjoying the feeling of her wrapped up in his arms.  
  
That darn feeling again rumbled in her stomach, making her pause to rub it irritably. "Is something wrong?" He asked her worriedly. She shook her head as she sat up, rubbing her stomach.  
  
"Nah, just been acting up all day, nothing to worry about." She told him, smiling reassuringly as she got to her feet. "Maybe I should get home though..." She didn't really want him to see her like this.  
  
"Do you need some help or anything?" He asked her worriedly, only to receive a sharp shake of her head in response.  
  
"I'll be fine... I think I just need to rest today..." She told him as she stood up, holding her stomach painfully.  
  
"At least let me come with you." He told her, standing up beside her.  
  
"No I'm fine, you stay here." She replied a but put off. She didn't need some babysitter following her around. Finally he conceded and sat back down while she flew off through the forest, dodging through the branches and leaves. There was little she didn't know about the city, she knew where everything was, and so there was no risk of her not knowing her way for any reason.  
  
She was about halfway home when her hypersensitive hearing picked up the blare of a security alarm ringing out over the city. What timing, she just wanted to get home and get some rest... But it was her duty to do what she could, she didn't even know if her sisters heard it and she would likely get there first if she went now.  
  
So she tried to steel herself for a bit of a rumble and turned to fly toward where the alarm was coming from... Townsville hospital? Who in their right mind robbed a hospital?  
  
As she neared she caught a glimpse of Ace running along the sidewalk away from it, the Gangrene Gang, the rest of them were probably still inside, well she could take care of them later. She should make sure the leader didn't get away first.  
  
So Buttercup streaked down toward him, but he managed to turn a corner into an alley before she caught up with him. She streaked up to the alley entrance and saw immediately she had him cornered, it was a dead end. This was kind of weird since Ace new Townsville as well as anybody, he should have known this was a trap...  
  
"Alright, I don't know what you're up to Ace, but you're not getting away with it!" She said raising her fists in front of her challengingly.  
  
"Actually Buttercup, now that you're here, the fun's about to start." Ace replied, smirking to himself underneath his shades. Without warning three pinpricks seemed to jam into the back of her neck, making her yelp in pain and surprise.  
  
She reached behind her to pluck them out one at a time, they looked like hypodermic needles, but what was in them? She hadn't even thought the question fully before she began to feel weak; her arms and legs shaking uncontrollably. She looked behind her to see the rest of the gang gathered in the small alley, blocking her exit.  
  
"Sedatives and tranquilizers, courtesy of the Townsville hospital." Ace said, chuckling to himself. Buttercup fell to her knees weakly, she couldn't even fly like this, and she couldn't think of any other way out. She could only watch as Blossom and Bubbles streaked right by outside the alley, not noticing the gang surrounding her. She felt so weak she couldn't even make herself yell to them for help... "There they go to save the hospital... too bad they don't know that YOU need saving too."  
  
"Yess let'ss get thiss over with." Snake hissed eagerly as he took one menacing step toward her. Normally she would have simply wiped the floor with each and every one of them, but the sedatives pumping through her body made it so she could barely move let alone fight. There was no way out that she could see...  
  
She gasped as Ace grabbed her by the dollar of her dress, holding her up. "You know I thought you might want to be a member of our gang once, but I guess you're just too stubborn." He told her as he raised one fist, aiming it straight at her helpless, dangling body. The rest of the gang began to move in as well, blocking all hope of escape. She guessed if there was one good thing about this whole situation, the sedatives were dulling her pain...  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"You mean they just left on their own?" Blossom asked one of the doctors in amazement. The Gangrene Gang had apparently just walked in, taken three sedatives that had just been prepared for different patients, and left again without a word. One of the younger, less experienced nurses had triggered the alarm the moment she'd seen them, but they hadn't hurt anybody.  
  
"It was strange." The doctor agreed, rubbing the back of his neck in puzzlement. "The sedatives they stole aren't even all that expensive, just put someone out for an hour or two and that's it."  
  
"What would they want with hospital stuff?" Bubbles asked, sounding just as confused about the whole thing as the other two.  
  
"Whatever the reason, we can bet it's not a GOOD reason." Blossom said as she looked over at her blond sister, who nodded in agreement. "Do you know which way they went?"  
  
"I think they went east, but then I can't be sure. They came and left so abruptly nobody even had time to follow them out." The doctor replied.  
  
"Alright." Blossom replied, turning to Bubbles. "Just to be on the safe side we should split up, you head west and I'll head east. We can search in a circular pattern and meet back here in the center, got it?"  
  
"That's search plan 6 right?" Bubbles asked. Blossom just sighed and nodded back at her. "Oh alright!"  
  
"Okay, let's go!" They both streaked out of the hospital, heading their separate ways. Blossom was getting a little worried about what they might be planning, it was very like Ace to do something random just to make people mad, but normally he got something out of it, even if it's satisfaction of making a piece of art with spray-paint. What did he gain by taking sedatives from a hospital? It made no sense.  
  
She searched in her assigned pattern, trying to find any sign of the Gangrene Gang, but she couldn't find them anywhere. She even checked their hideout in the junkyard only to find it abandoned, at least for now. They'd vanished into thin air pretty well, especially for someone as big as Big Billy.  
  
After completing her circuit she returned to the hospital to consult with Bubbles, who also reported finding no trace of the Gangrene Gang anywhere in the city. "It's like they just decided to become invisible or something." She commented.  
  
"Maybe we just couldn't cover enough ground with just the two of us... We should swing by the boys place and pick up Buttercup, then we can probably find them." Bubbles nodded in agreement and they flew off toward the boys' tree house in the center of the city.  
  
When they arrived they found Brick just sitting on the roof alone, looking up at the sky. "Where's Buttercup? We need her to help us out with something." Blossom asked.  
  
"I don't know, she said she wasn't feeling too good so she went home." He replied lazily.  
  
"Went home? But she never GOT home." Blossom said. Almost immediately Brick floated off the roof to join the two girls in the air.  
  
"Well then where is she?"  
  
"We're asking YOU." Bubbles pointed out. "If we knew we wouldn't need to ask."  
  
"Well I don't know!" Brick yelled. "She has to be somewhere!" He exclaimed, already sounding like he was going to have a panic attack.  
  
"Alright calm down I'm sure she just decided to stop for something to eat or something, anyway we have three of us so we should be able to find the Gangrene Gang now." Blossom said reasonably.  
  
"Right, maybe while we're looking we'll find Buttercup." He said, obviously not too reassured by Blossoms little speech.  
  
"Fine, come on, we can look for all of them." Blossom said as she flew back toward the hospital, Bubbles and Brick following behind her. Despite all of her bravado, she wanted to know where Buttercup had gone off to as well. Hopefully they would find some trace of her in their search for the Gangrene Gang... or maybe she should hope they DIDN'T find a trace of her with the gang...  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Buttercup groaned with pain and discomfort as the sedative finally began to lose its effect. She almost wished she was still numb, she was aching all over, no part of her of her seemed to be spared. She could feel a soft cold wind blowing across her bare skin in the dark shadows of the alley, why was she bare? They'd probably stripped her to humiliate her, see their handiwork as they bruised her...  
  
She finally forced herself to open one eye and look down at herself weakly. Her entire body was red from the beating, and there were dozens of cuts and gashes along the length of her. The sedatives must have made her body more susceptible to punishment, even as it made her unable to dish it out. She hurt like the dickens right now...  
  
She grunted with pain and embarrassment as she pushed herself up to her hands and knees with much difficulty, panting with just this little effort. She felt like a baby right now, freezing, barely able to move, butt naked... what was she supposed to do now that she actually COULD do something?  
  
She would kill Ace the next time she saw him, she swore she would. This was just too much, she'd never be able to show her face again once people got wind of the fact she'd been found freezing and butt naked in an alley like a poor little kitten, she'd never live it down.  
  
She had to get home before anyone saw her, but she didn't feel up to crawling right now, let alone flight. She had to struggle just to get herself to her feet, leaning against the wall heavily for support. She wouldn't solve anything standing here; she had to get somewhere at least to warm up...  
  
She stumbled toward the entrance of the alley, poking her head out carefully so as not to let anybody see her body. When she saw nobody she tried to hurry along the sidewalk, but she didn't get two steps before she stumbled and fell to the cement, only hurting herself more.  
  
She groaned as she tried to get up, blushing furiously at the thought someone might come along and find her but she had exhausted herself already. She fell to the ground shivering as the night chill sifted through her bones, making her shiver almost wildly as she just lay there helplessly. God, she WAS a baby right now...  
  
"Buttercup? Is that you?" She would have cringed if she could have done anything but shiver when she heard a familiar voice behind her. Mitch Mitchelson from school, of all the people to find her it had to be him, the class bully... "What are you doing?" He asked, blushing brightly himself.  
  
"What... Does it look like... dummy?" Buttercup growled under her breath, trying to push herself to her feet again. She couldn't imagine this going any worse as she fell again, growling from sheer frustration and embarrassment as well as turning bright red.  
  
"Why don't you have any clothes on?" He finally asked, he was so surprised to find her in the middle of the sidewalk like this he forgot to be a little punk like he normally was.  
  
"Because..." She stopped, not wanting to admit she was actually tricked and beaten by the Gangrene Gang, that would only add more embarrassment. "... I... don't remember..." She whispered almost too softly for him to hear.  
  
"You're kidding right? That's just dumb." He said, smirking to himself mirthfully. His expression didn't last long though as she finally gave up on moving and just hugged herself, curling up into a little ball for warmth. He looked around a bit worriedly, not really knowing what he should do here. "Gee... There anything I can do?"  
  
She didn't respond, having gone beyond caring about much of anything and only wanting to get warm. "Uh..." He stammered, trying to think. He'd always liked Buttercup more than her sisters, they saw eye-to-eye on a lot of things. She appreciated a good prank as much as he did, and she always laughed when he pulled a joke on someone else.  
  
"Eh you're pathetic." He told her as he reached down to pick her up, grabbing her underneath the shoulders and heaving her to her knees. She wasn't that heavy, actually she didn't seem to have grown at all since kindergarten had begun just about a year ago... Aw well, made his task easier.  
  
He lifted her up and slung one her arms around his shoulder, keeping her hands around his waist as he carried her back toward his house. It was closer than her house, and his parents would be able to call Miss Keane to come and get her. He couldn't help but notice that she was still naked and hugged to him felt kind of nice, but he didn't really dwell on it. He just concentrated on dragging her along.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Blossom was really starting to worry now. They'd searched almost all day and found no trace of Buttercup or the Gangrene Gang. Brick she knew was outright frantic with worry and Bubbles could barely keep herself pulled together, if they so much as stepped on a bug she would probably crack right there. Where could Buttercup be?  
  
"Where the hell could she be!?" Brick echoed her unspoken sentiment as he paced furiously around the living room. There was just no stopping his constant motion, even though he was only making Bubbles even more upset the more he paced around like that.  
  
"I don't knoooow!" Bubbles whined loudly. She was wound up as tight as any of them, and she probably would have burst into tears if anyone even looked at her the wrong way.  
  
"Stop it Brick! You're not helping anybody!" Blossom snapped angrily. "She'll turn up, I know she will." She was a bit surprise when the phone rang just then. Brick streaked over to grab it before either girl could react, even though it wasn't even his house.  
  
"Where is she!?" He exclaimed. The voice on the other end sounded familiar, but it had a tone he'd never heard in it before.  
  
"Oh, you mean Buttercup?" Mitch asked.  
  
"YES I mean Buttercup!" Brick replied loudly.  
  
"She's at my house resting..."  
  
"Thank god, keep her there, we're coming!" Brick exclaimed, slamming the phone down and turning to the other girls. "They found Buttercup, come on!" The three streaked out of the house immediately. She really had some explaining to do this time.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Buttercup groaned softly and squirmed underneath a blanket that was draped on top of her. Her mind slowly began to function again as she opened her eyes halfway, looking around at unfamiliar surroundings. Where was she? She couldn't place it immediately, but she knew she hadn't made it home...  
  
"You're awake?" She looked up to see a woman looming over her worriedly, dabbing her head with a warm wet washcloth. "How do you feel?"  
  
"Like I just got the crap kicked out of me..." Buttercup grumbled sourly, remembering the punishment she'd suffered not too long ago from the Gangrene Gang. "Where am I?"  
  
"My son found you in the streets like this, he brought you here and called your house for someone to pick you up." The woman explained as she filled a glass with water from the pitcher she'd set beside the couch for just that purpose. Someone had found her... she didn't remember seeing anybody...  
  
Her memory was jogged suddenly when she spotted Mitch sitting in a chair on the other side of the room. She remembered running into him in the street before she'd passed out... Suddenly she wished she didn't remember, then her cheeks wouldn't have begun to flush when she realized how he'd seen her. Naked and helpless in the street like a little lost baby.  
  
"How long has it been?" Buttercup asked, trying to hide the embarrassment she felt at that moment. This lady was helping her; it wouldn't do to turn ungrateful just because she was embarrassed about her son.  
  
"Only a few minutes, your sisters should be here any moment to pick you up. You heal fast." She commented with some degree of respect and maybe a hint of jealousy.  
  
"Well you kind of have to when you usually fight monsters every day..." Buttercup replied, her gaze wandering over to Mitch, who had turned to the TV to play some video games. "Why's he sitting at home? Shouldn't he be out?" She asked.  
  
"He spends a lot of his time at home." Mitch's mom replied, following Buttercups gaze over to the boy. "He gets into trouble a lot... I try to find ways to get him to stop but he keeps on doing it." She said softly.  
  
"What does he do?" Buttercup asked curiously. From the look on her face she knew she wasn't talking about simply not having any friends.  
  
"Lately he's taken to hanging around with a group of older kids, they do all kinds of illegal and immoral things... He's been brought back by police three times since school let out." The woman confided softly so her son wouldn't overhear. Buttercup just stared at him curiously. He was a bully, but she didn't think he was a criminal.  
  
"Maybe I can..." She was cut off when the front door flew open. Luckily it hadn't been locked, or Brick would have likely broken it down before streaking over to Buttercup side, taking her hand worriedly.  
  
"Are you okay?" He asked quickly, staring into her eyes, practically begging her silently to tell him she was fine.  
  
"Yeah I'm okay, just a bit under the weather right now." She replied, not wanting tell the truth... that she hurt like hell and it was her own fault for not being able to beat the same gang they ALWAYS beat before.  
  
"Thanks for taking care of her Ms. Mitchelson." Blossom said courteously as Brick wrapped Buttercup in the blanket like a cocoon and lifted her off the couch to carry. She only blushed brighter at this, knowing full well she DID now look like a hurt baby found in the street.  
  
"My pleasure, I hope she feels better soon." Mitches mother replied.  
  
"Yeah, us too..." Bubbles said, looking over at Buttercup who was now cradled in Brick's arms with her eyes closed resignedly. "Goodbye!" the blond Powerpuff cried cheerfully as they took off across the city, heading for their house they shared with Miss Keane.  
  
"Buttercup, what happened out there?" Blossom asked finally, turning to watch her as she sat on the bed still curled up in the blanket, Brick holding her close to him protectively.  
  
"I don't remember, okay? Can I get dressed now?" Buttercup grumbled, turning to glare at Brick darkly. This surprised all three of the others, as she normally was kind of gentle with him. Right now she was treating him like he'd just done the worst thing he could have possibly done to her.  
  
"Uh... Sure Buttercup... I'll wait downstairs..." Brick said softly, getting up and heading out the bedroom door without another word. Blossom and Bubbles glared at her as she floated over to the closet, keeping the blanket wrapped around her snugly enough to they couldn't see any part of her body.  
  
The two girls nodded to each other in silent understanding and quietly floated up behind their sister. Simultaneously they grabbed the blanket, yanking it off of her. They both gasped in shock when they saw the bruises and gashes that covered their sisters entire body from ankle to head. Buttercup yelped in surprise when she was suddenly without the blanket, whirling on her sisters slowly, as she still couldn't move too fast.  
  
"What on Earth happened to you?" Blossom asked sympathetically, still looking her up and down.  
  
"I don't remember, I told you that." Buttercup replied, smirking and turning back to the closet. She put on her nightgown since it was so close to bedtime anyway, though what she'd wear in the morning would be another puzzle to figure out when the time came.  
  
"How can you not remember that?" Bubbles asked softly.  
  
"I just don't!" Buttercup snapped angrily as she found a pair of panties from her drawer and drew them on before resuming her search through their clothing. "Now leave me alone about it..." She muttered as she found a pair of tights to cover her bruised legs and a green sweater to cover her arms.  
  
"Buttercup..." Blossom began, but she stopped when she realized she wouldn't get any more answers than she already had. Silently Buttercup moved over to the bed, climbing under the covers and not looking at them. "What about Brick? He's still waiting for you downstairs."  
  
"Tell him to go home, I'll see him tomorrow..." Buttercup replied pointedly. Blossom and Bubbles exchanged a worried glance before Blossom turned to leave the room, leaving Bubbles alone with Buttercup.  
  
"You know it wouldn't hurt to tell us what happened..." Bubbles said softly, floating over to sit on the bed behind her sulking sister. "We only want to help you."  
  
"I don't need it... now either go to sleep or get out of the room." Buttercup replied sharply. Bubbles just sighed behind her and laid down, snuggled up close to her back.  
  
"Well okay... if you wanna talk I'm right here..." Bubbles said softly, yawning and closing her eyes almost immediately. The funniest part of it all was Buttercup didn't really feel that tired, she just didn't want to be seen... Didn't want anyone to have any clues to what did happen, it was too embarrassing... She hated Ace more than anything for doing this to her... she WOULD pay him back.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Blossom floated downstairs to find Brick sitting on the couch; his chin resting on the palms of his hands thoughtfully as he waited for any signs he could go back up. He turned to look up at her when he sensed her presence. "Well?" He asked quickly.  
  
"She said she's going to sleep now... She'll see you tomorrow." Blossom informed him dutifully. As she'd expected his face drooped considerably at this. She didn't really know what to tell him now, besides that Buttercup was just stressed out.  
  
"Well okay... I guess I might as well head home then huh?" He said as he stood up from the couch, walking toward the door.  
  
"I'm sure she's just tired..." Blossom tried to comfort him a little bit, but knew she really couldn't. She didn't have any clue what was running through her sisters head right now. She was obviously hiding something, but just what was what kept bugging her.  
  
"I know. Goodnight." Brick replied just before he shut the front door behind him. Blossom could only sigh and begin the trek back upstairs to the girls bedroom. Whatever Buttercups problem was it wasn't going to get better until she told someone about it, didn't really matter who, just someone...  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
The night spread out around her comfortingly as she flew through the air, her eyes scanning the ground far below for any signs of her targets. The darkness seemed to flow right through her, almost like she wasn't really there, but was instead just moving along at will. She narrowed her eyes as she caught the lingering sense of one of them... She was close.  
  
She flew down toward the ground, her dark cloak fluttering in the breeze behind her as she examined the area. She could feel them... but there was nothing there. They were in hiding, made sense considering everything. She floated along the area slowly, her eyes not letting down their guard for even an instant in her diligent search for her prey.  
  
Finally she caught the essence as it grew stronger, he was on the move. She streaked through the darkness easily toward him, flowing straight through a wall without disturbing it at all. She finally spotted The Gangrene Gang wandering through the hallways.  
  
"What is THAT!?" Arturo exclaimed in his accent as they all turned to gawk at her in surprise.  
  
"I... it looks like a ghost!" Big Billy exclaimed, backing away from her fearfully.  
  
"Hey, you got a problem here?" Ace demanded, stepping up to her in front of his gang challengingly. "Why don't you bug off little rat?" Suddenly her arm shot forward, the dark glove gripping his throat tightly.  
  
"Because you're mine." She growled deep in her throat as her grip tightened. His eyes went wide and he grasped at his throat desperately for air as his supply was cut off completely.  
  
"Don't worry bosss, we'll get it!" Snakes exclaimed, leaping forward and punching her in the face. Her grip let go and she flew back only a foot before turning back to stare at them again.  
  
"Jesus!" Ace yelped, taking off down the hallway. The figure ignored the rest of the gang, following their leader through the hallways with a steady pace, not really in any hurry. She knew he couldn't get away from her, she could sense every move he made, every breath he took.  
  
Finally Ace burst out into the junkyard itself, running through the piles of twisted steel and rubber, tying to lose the thing that was on his tail. He didn't get far though, as she simply zipped through the darkness, appearing right in front of him in under an instant.  
  
He tried to screech to a halt, and wound up slipping to the ground fearfully. "Look I don't know what I did but I didn't mean it, alright? Just get out of here!" He yelled at her. She paid him no heed however as she floated closer to him, her eyes beginning to pulse bright green in anticipation.  
  
Without another word she grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and lifted him off the ground. "Come on man, I'll give you anything, I have cash, I can help you out, just name it!" He pleaded pathetically, pulling at her arm vainly.  
  
"Die." She replied gruffly, raising her other fist into the air behind her. A string of spikes appeared around the rim of it, aiming straight at him, glinting in the pale moonlight.  
  
"No! Stop!" He yelled desperately as he tried to free himself one last time. Finally she thrust her arm toward him, her eyes pulsing with satisfaction.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Buttercup groaned softly as her eyes opened, blinking against the morning sunlight that shone through the window. She felt a bit stiff, but other than that she felt well enough considering everything. What a weird dream, she didn't consider herself very violent or anything... Aw well, probably just all the stress from yesterday.  
  
She pushed herself up on her elbows, looking around the room. She was the first one awake; her sisters still lay on the bed beside her asleep. She pushed the blanket off of her as she floated up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she floated out the bedroom door.  
  
When she got downstairs she found Miss Keane at the table eating a bowl of cereal. There were three other bowls around the table for the girls when they woke up. "Good morning." She said, smiling kindly when she saw Buttercup enter the room.  
  
"Morning..." Buttercup replied, sitting down at one of the bowls and digging in. She noticed Miss Keane giving her weird looks, probably because of her odd attire, but she didn't say anything. They just ate for a little while until someone knocked on the front door.  
  
"I'll get that, you keep eating." Miss Keane said as she got up to get the door, opening it slowly. "Oh, hello Brick. Can I help you with something?" Buttercup rolled her eyes at this, feeling a bit sorry even as she did it. He didn't know about it any more than anyone else, he was just worried... and she was getting all mad at him for it. Some girlfriend she was...  
  
"Hyeah I just wanted to know if I could see Buttercup..." Brick replied seriously.  
  
"She's eating breakfast right now. Go on in..." Miss Keane replied, moving aside to let him through. Buttercup just concentrated on her cereal as she felt him enter the room. Everything seemed tense all of a sudden when he saw her, but she couldn't think of anything to say. So she just continued munching her breakfast slowly, trying to calm down.  
  
"Buttercup..." Brick said softly as he floated over to sit in the seat beside her. She knew he was staring at her clothes curiously... she really was overdressed... but she could not let him know what it was the clothes were hiding. "Are you okay? You just... didn't talk to me last night at all..."  
  
"Well maybe I don't need you around ALL the time, you ever think of that?" Buttercup snapped back, not looking up. His stunned silence was all she needed to know she'd struck a nerve. She instantly regretted her quick tongue, but there was nothing she could do about it now.  
  
Neither of them so much as flinched when the hotline upstairs began to ring loudly, echoing through the house. After a few moments the ringing stopped, once again plunging the kitchen into that tense, uncomfortable silence that Buttercup was quickly learning to hate more than any monster. At least she could fight that foe...  
  
Within a few moments Blossom and Bubbles floated down the stairs, fully dressed and ready to go. "Buttercup, something happened at the junkyard last night, the mayor wants us to go check it out." Blossom informer her. When she noticed Brick and Buttercup just sitting there in silence her expression turned from determined to curious.  
  
"Coming..." She downed the rest of her cereal in a moment and streaked upstairs to get dressed. She didn't really know why she was being so stand-offish to him, but she couldn't help it right now. Just something...  
  
She shook her head and finished getting dressed, streaking downstairs to rejoin her sisters before they took off toward the junkyard, leaving Brick standing in the kitchen forlornly.  
  
"What happened Buttercup?" Bubbles asked worriedly as they flew. "I've never seen you and Brick so... unfamiliar before." She said.  
  
"Forget about it." Buttercup grunted. "Focus on the mission." She ordered her blond sister. Bubbles didn't seem too happy, but decided not to push the issue lest she set off something really bad.  
  
When they reached the junkyard they found it just like it always was at first. The twisted heaps of metal awaiting crushing stood in piles with their parts and pieces scattered literally everywhere. At first they didn't find anything, but soon they found a group of cops huddled over a mound on the ground. It looked like little more than a lump of clay painted red with sticks stuck through it.  
  
"What is this?" Blossom questioned disgustedly as the girls neared. "Someone's idea of a joke?"  
  
"A joke?" One of the officers commented, smirking. "Hardly. This is... or rather was... Ace of the Gangrene Gang."  
  
"What!?" All three girls exclaimed in shock. Blossom turned a pale shade of green while Buttercup just floated there with an almost panicked expression on her face. Bubbles burst into tears when it finally registered.  
  
"How could that happen!?" Bubbles bawled, trying to calm herself down and rubbing her fists in her eyes to quell the tear flow.  
  
"Beats us, that's why they called you in. Thought maybe you could think of a monster or something capable of this." The cop told them, watching them carefully.  
  
"Not me." Blossom replied, shaking her head. She couldn't stop staring at the wet looking mass in front of her. It almost looked more like a rock covered in red paint than a body.  
  
"No way!" Bubbles agreed, also shaking her head. After a moment of silence they both turned to look over at Buttercup, who hadn't said a word this whole time. She just floated in place, her face turning as white as a ghost.  
  
"Buttercup?" Blossom asked, startling her brunette sister out of her daze. She looked back at her sisters finally realizing where she was.  
  
"Oh... no, nothing that could do this." She finally agreed, trying to act a semblance of her normal self. The other two looked suspiciously at her, but decided not to say anything about it.  
  
"Well thanks for your time girls, let us know if you find anything." One of the officers told them. They agreed before taking off back toward the house again, buttercups mind racing. She remembered that, it was in her dream... in her dream SHE'D done that to him... How had she known what happened last night? Was she becoming psychic or...  
  
No she was sure she hadn't done it... she couldn't have, it was only a dream. Or was it? Maybe she'd had a vision or something... that had to be it. She just saw it... well in any case it would be pointless to tell people about it now. It would only confuse matters, what she saw or not wouldn't change anything, what HAPPENED mattered...  
  
When they arrived back at the house Buttercup had herself convinced it was just a strange coincidence, she wouldn't kill anybody, she was a Powerpuff Girl. Besides, Ace deserved it anyway; chances were the Gangrene Gang wouldn't be a problem anymore.  
  
They went inside silently to find Brick still waiting on the couch for them to return. Why couldn't he just take the hint and leave? She wasn't in the mood for him right now; she wasn't in the mood for anybody... she just wanted to be alone. Alas he didn't seem to realize he was only bugging her at the moment since he got up and walked over to her worriedly.  
  
"Look, what's wrong with you? And don't say nothing." He asked her firmly, obviously not intending to back down this time. "Did I do something?"  
  
"No." She replied, crossing her arms over her chest grumpily. "Just leave me alone right now alright?" She asked him, turning away from him pointedly. Blossom and Bubbles exchanged a quick glance while Brick just turned away, looking down at the floor.  
  
"Fine... When you want to talk you know where to find me..." He mumbled before he flew off again toward his own home. Buttercup just turned away as well, heading back into the house without looking back at him. She needed time to think about things, and she couldn't think with him around...  
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Brick frowned to himself later on in the day as he sat on his beanbag, trying to think of anything he might have said or done to make Buttercup so mad at him. He couldn't think of anything, as far as he knew he hadn't done anything Buttercup would get this upset over... and he liked to think he knew her pretty well. So what was the problem?  
  
It probably had something to do with her disappearance the other day, something that happened when nobody knew where she was... She never had told them how she wound up at Mitch's house completely nude and bruised all over... Why wouldn't she talk to him about it? She knew she could, he made sure of that... What was it...? He couldn't figure it out.  
  
He was snapped out of his deep train of thought when Butch floated over to the fridge and opened it, grabbing a can of soda. He just watched idly as his brother floated over to his own beanbag and plopped down, popping open the soda to take a long swig.  
  
"Something on your mind dude?" Butch asked, studying his brother intently.  
  
"Buttercup's been acting strange today..." Brick replied softly, not really looking at his brother anymore. He knew how much he disliked the Powerpuff Girls, even if they weren't exactly at each others throats anymore.  
  
"So leave her, be for the best." Butch replied smugly.  
  
"Yeah right... I'm being serious here; I'm getting worried about her. She hasn't been herself." Brick replied.  
  
"Ah, she's just a girl dude, who ever understands them? Forget about her for awhile, we can head down to the arcade tomorrow or something, you and me." Butch said, winking at him meaningfully.  
  
"Well... Alright, I guess I have nothing better to do..." Brick replied, nodding back at his brother affirmatively. "Just hope she gets over it quickly... Whatever it is."  
  
"She will, in the meantime we can finally partay like we never got to before!" Butch exclaimed, grinning at Brick excitedly. Neither of them really took any notice as a shape flitted from the window without a sound...  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Buttercup flew away from the tree house as fast as she could, biting her own lip to keep herself from screaming at them. Stupid Butch, what did he think he was doing, trying to break them up? She'd come to try to talk with Brick, but she wasn't sure she wanted to if he could just brush her off and go to the arcade...  
  
Dumb Butch, she was really getting tired of him always trying to get between her and Brick. The worst part of it all was that there was nothing she could do about it, she couldn't even raise her voice to Butch let alone a fist, or Brick would never speak to her again... God why was this so HARD? It would be so much easier WITHOUT Butch...  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
The night breeze blew through the small forest gently, setting the leaves to rustling and the wildlife into furious action. Under the cover of night many things lurked, but one thing flew through the trees unnoticed by anything else. A simple shadow in a sea of darkness, completely imperceptible. She neared the tree house slowly, her eyes glowing with anticipation.  
  
Without even thinking she floated up to Butch's window, floating through it easily and finding him nestled under his sheets, lying on the beanbag that also doubled as his chair. She approached it slowly, her dark cloak rustling in the wind in front of her, flowing around her body.  
  
She heard him grumble softly in his sleep, turning over on the beanbag to get comfortable. Roughly she grabbed him by his shirt collar, lifting him off the bag and right to her face. He gasped softly as he jerked awake, looking into her pulsing green eyes with more than a little surprise.  
  
"Who're you?" He asked.  
  
"Mange." She replied darkly, her eyes narrowing dangerously. Without warning she thrust him backward, sending him hurtling through the wall between his and Brick room, slamming into the floor hard.  
  
"What the!?" Brick exclaimed as he shot up at the sudden noise. He floated off the bed in alarm when he saw his brother just floating up off the floor. "What's going on!?"  
  
"We're being attacked by this freak!" Butch exclaimed, raising his fists in front of him. "Come on, let's kick his butt!" Both of the boys lunged at her at once. She Closed her eyes, seeming to fade into the shadows that prevailed over most of the room and leaving the boys looking around confusedly.  
  
"Where'd she go!?" Brick exclaimed.  
  
"Hey! Grk!" Butch cried out as Mange's arms closed around his throat from behind, squeezing him as tightly as she could. Brick charged immediately, slamming his fist into her head and sending her flying back through the wall, but she didn't leave a hole, just vanishing into the darkness again.  
  
"Just WHAT are we fighting here?" Brick asked as him and his brother got back to back, keeping sharp eyes out for any sign of Mange. Without warning something plunged into the from above, slamming them both through the floor of the house and down into the night outside. They both slammed into the grass before they could get presence of mind to take flight.  
  
The boys looked up in time to see a shadow floating down to them, only visible because it was a darker shade than the shadows surrounding it, and he pulsing green eyes that glinted with satisfaction and anticipation of its victory.  
  
"Something tells me this thing is serious..." Butch grunted as he floated off the ground, staring up at the shadow warily. Brick nodded and reached for the wireless phone he kept in his pocket. The boys personal hotline, really only for use when the girls themselves needed help, but he guessed he could use it to call for help too.  
  
He quickly dialed the girls hotline phone, since he knew they'd respond to that pretty much instantly. He wasn't disappointed, since Blossoms voice rang through after only a moment.  
  
"What is it mayor!?" She asked quickly.  
  
"Blossom it's us, we're being attacked by something! Geeze!" He lunged to the side furiously as the shadow struck at the boys in a full on assault, not letting up for anything. Her fists pulsed bright green as she turned to strike at Butch squarely, practically ignoring Brick.  
  
"Brick? Brick what's going on!?" Blossom shouted as the phone fell to the ground, dropped by Brick as he tried to get in there and rescue his brother. He plunged his fists into Mange's back, throwing him to the side and dropping Butch to the ground.  
  
Mange prepared to strike back, but for a single instant her consciousness seemed stretched to two places. She saw both the Rowdyruff Boys in front of her, and Blossoms face hovering over the bed, yelling down at her to wake up. She hung for an instant, caught between the two images until finally she snapped back to the bed.  
  
"Huh..." Buttercup grunted somewhat as she opened her eyes. That was weird, what just happened?  
  
"Come on Buttercup, your boyfriend just called, they need our help!" Blossom said excitedly.  
  
"What? No... that was just a dream, go back to sleep..." Buttercup grumbled softly, something in the back of her mind grasping the fact it was HER dream, not Blossoms, how did her sister know about it?  
  
"No it's not a dream, come on!" Blossom exclaimed as she and Bubbled dragged Buttercup out of bed. Together the girls flew toward the Rowdyruff Boys tree house, streaking through the dark night without really worrying about hitting anything. Somewhere in the back of her mind Buttercup couldn't help but be uneasy about this, this was the second time one of her dreams proved true...  
  
When they reached the boys house they found them both sitting on the ground in front of it, looking around cautiously as though they expected to be jumped any second. "Well what's going on? Who's attacking you?" Blossom asked, looking around as well.  
  
"He just vanished..." Brick said softly. "We don't know where he went."  
  
"Are you sure there was actually someone out here?" Buttercup asked venomously. Brick looked over at her with a hurt expression on his face.  
  
"Of course there was! I wouldn't call you girls out here in the middle of the night on a prank!" He said firmly.  
  
"Do you know who it was?" Blossom asked them.  
  
"He called himself Mange..." Butch replied.  
  
"Mange!?" All three girls gasped in surprise. That was the name Buttercup had taken awhile back during the first comic book hero incident. Bubbles and Blossom slowly turned to look at Buttercup, who just looked shocked.  
  
"Buttercup... did you do this?" Bubbles asked.  
  
"She couldn't have, she was asleep at home with us!" Blossom told her.  
  
"What's going on here?" Brick asked in confusion. The girls explained to him and his brother all about the superhero incident, including Mange.  
  
"So Mange is YOU?" Brick demanded, glaring at Buttercup in shocked surprise.  
  
"No! I wouldn't attack you, you know that!" Buttercup replied, getting a bit upset that he'd jump so quickly to that conclusion.  
  
"You have seemed pretty stressed out Buttercup... what happened a few days ago?" Blossom demanded, turning to glare at her sister along with the others. Buttercup could barely believe what was happening, they all thought she'd been the one behind all of this.  
  
"Alright... A few days ago... The Gangrene Gang got the better of me at the hospital... They beat me up and left me naked in an alley..." She admitted, looking down at the ground shamefully. "That night I dreamed I killed Ace..."  
  
"And he DID die..." Blossom said thoughtfully.  
  
"Then just tonight I dreamed I attacked Butch for convincing Brick to forget about me for awhile..." Buttercup admitted, closing her eyes. At the mention of this Butch cleared his throat, and Brick walked over to her side.  
  
"I couldn't forget about you, you know that... but you weren't talking to me... What else could I do except go out somewhere?" He asked. She jus looked down again, avoiding the gazes of her sisters and the Rowdyruff Boys.  
  
"This still doesn't explain Mange..." Butch pointed out. "Who was he?"  
  
"Buttercup..." Blossom replied thoughtfully, concentrating on the problem. "Maybe it was some new power... She can send out a physical image of herself..."  
  
"But why would she suddenly attack people, and why would it be Mange instead of her?" Bubbles asked curiously.  
  
"Because to me, Mange is stronger than I am..." Buttercup said. "I guess I wanted to be someone who could take all the crap that was happening to me..." She finished more softly. "Someone who didn't bear the shame of being beaten so badly..."  
  
"There's no shame in that, you should have told us... we would have helped you." Brick told her, putting his arms around her in a comforting hug. "I want to help you..." He whispered in her ear gently.  
  
She sighed and just leaned her head against his shoulder. She was tired, after the last few days she just wanted to sleep... In fact she did fall asleep right there on his shoulder...  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Brick looked down at her tenderly as she breathed steadily against his cheek, her chest rising and falling against his as she slept soundly against him. She must have had a really rough few days to just suddenly fall asleep standing up like that, he'd let her sleep... as long as she didn't conjure up anything to kill them all.  
  
"Kind of weird..." Bubbles commented, scratching her head in confusion. "Does this mean Buttercup's a killer?"  
  
"No, I don't think so..." Blossom replied. "Everyone thinks about stuff like that when they get upset, maybe dreaming about it... It's just not everybody's dreams accidentally end up becoming reality..."  
  
"Something I think none of you have realized is that this could REALLY help us out if we use it right." Butch commented from the side of the conversation. "We're always charging out to save the day at night when we need sleep... Well why don't we let Mange do it... Just teach Buttercup how to call him at will." He said.  
  
"Maybe... she just has to learn how to control him in her sleep... And I think that's something she has to figure out, we can't teach her." Blossom said.  
  
"Well in any case, we're all tired, we should get some sleep... I think Buttercup can stay with me tonight... keep her calm until she doesn't have homicidal tendencies anymore..." Brick said softly. Oddly enough nobody challenged his statement. So he floated back up toward the tree house to get some sleep with Buttercup beside him... Now that he knew why she'd been acting secretive he still didn't get it, he loved her... why did she feel the need to hide things from him when she needed help most of all...  
  
THE END 


	10. 109- Where Ruffs End

109- Where Ruffs End  
  
  
  
The Powerpuff Girls walked along the small path up to the Townsville Elementary School at a slow pace, taking a little bit to adjust to it. It was pretty different from Pokey Oaks Kindergarten, as the building was quite a bit bigger than just one room. Today was their first day of going to first grade, and none of them were quite sure what to expect. They'd all noticed immediately the other kids looked a bit bigger, while the girls themselves were still the exact same size they had been at creation. It was just something they'd have to get used to. At least they couldn't be bullied because of it...  
  
"What do you think girls?" Blossom asked as they slowly walked along the paved path up to the doors of the school. They hung open, but most of the students were still in the playground since the girls had arrived a little bit early and school wasn't started yet.  
  
"I don't know what to think..." Bubbles commented on Blossoms right, staring up at the building with wide eyes. Buttercup just crossed her arms over her chest defiantly as she examined the building.  
  
"I don't like it, we just went through an entire year, why do we need more of this junk?" Buttercup moaned darkly. "Don't we know enough already?"  
  
"Come on Buttercup, we can't be good superheroes without knowing a lot about the world and stuff. This is good for us, we'll be able to fight crime better." Blossom said sensibly. "Knowledge is power."  
  
"I can show you power." Buttercup grumbled as the girls all heard the class bell ring. They quickly jetted to the classroom, taking seats near the front as the other kids all piled in. they took some note that the two Rowdyruff Boys took seats toward the back of the room. They all waited a few minutes until finally the teacher entered the room. He was an older man in his late fifties, but he had a kind twinkle in his aqua blue eyes. His hair was a soft brown tinted with a hint of silver and he had the look of someone who'd spent a lot of time around children.  
  
"Hello class. I am your first grade teacher, Mr. Iridion." He greeted them, smiling kindly as he reached down to pick up a small notepad off the teachers desk. "Now let's see if I can guess you names." He said, grinning. "Whoever's name I guess wrong can take the whole day off." The class let out a unanimous murmur of appreciation at this.  
  
"Now..." He said before he strolled along the front row. Amazingly he got every single one of their names right just from comparing the names to the faces. He did the same with the second row until he finally reached the three Powerpuff Girls, who were at the end of the third row. "Now let's see here..." He murmured, studying them carefully. After a few moments Bubbles couldn't help but let out a small giggle as the light reflected off his eyes, almost making it seem like he didn't have any pupils. "You must be Bubbles Utonium." He guessed, smiling.  
  
"That's right!" Bubbles exclaimed excitedly. "Hey you guys, he got it right!" She grinned happily.  
  
"Yeah real nice Bubbles." Buttercup replied sourly, crossing her arms across her chest.  
  
"You must be Buttercup... so bittersweet." Mr. Iridion said, patting her head gently. Buttercup just smirked as he turned to the last Powerpuff. "And by process of elimination, I dub you Blossom Utonium." He told her gently.  
  
"Not bad for an old man." Buttercup remarked.  
  
"Buttercup! Show some respect!" Blossom exclaimed, embarrassed. The new teacher just chuckled gently at this, smiling down at the brunette girl.  
  
"Well this old man's had a lot of practice." He replied knowingly. Buttercup couldn't help but watch him as he kept going along the rows of kids who'd yet to be named. An odd fellow, but he seemed to be a good enough teacher. Nothing compared to Miss Keane of course, but good enough.  
  
She looked back at her sisters to notice Bubbles had turned her attention back to a little drawing she was making on her desk, humming a merry tune to herself. Blossom though still kept watching Mr. Iridion make his way around the room.  
  
"Hey, you okay?" Buttercup asked her. She just blinked and snapped out of her trance, looking back at her sister finally.  
  
"Of course I am." Blossom replied, shrugging off her concerns off-handedly. "You worry too much." Buttercup just frowned at this. The last thing the red-headed leader had the right to do was tell anyone they worried too much. She worried more than anyone, even Bubbles.  
  
Finally Mr. Iridion completed his round and went back up to the front of the class. He hadn't gotten one name wrong, much tot he disappointment of those with particularly odd names who were sure they'd get out right there. "Now I know children hate school, it's just one of those facts of life. But I'm going to try to make the best of it, and I promise you will never be bored with nothing to do."  
  
"We'll just WISH we were." Buttercup snickered mischievously. Several other kids laughed lightly at this.  
  
"Buttercup, knock it off!" Blossom exclaimed angrily.  
  
"Hey why don't you get off my back? What's gotten into you anyway?" Buttercup retorted irritably.  
  
"Nothing's gotten into me, but you should be nicer to our new teacher!" Blossom replied, growling at Buttercup angrily.  
  
"Now girls." Mr. Iridion told them gently, walking over to stand between their desks. "Fighting would only get you both in trouble, whereas paying attention will get you both good jobs and a whole lot of money. So I'll let you choose what you'd rather have." He told them reasonably before he headed back up to the front of the class. The two girls just glared at each other for another moment before turning to face the front again.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Blossom watched the teacher intently all day long as he went about introducing what they would be covering in their first year of real school. She just couldn't stop; he was so smart and gentle... Even when Buttercup or Butch had to open their big mouth in a smart quip he calmly and efficiently quieted them without ever raising his voice. He was kind of handsome too; his hair actually looked silver in the gentle light that filtered in through the windows.  
  
Without her even knowing about it a soft, wistful sigh escaped her lips as she watched him, leaning her chin on the palms of her hands, propping her head up by her elbows. She didn't realize it, but if it were a cartoon her pupils would have probably turned into little hearts by now.  
  
When the lunch bell rang the majority of the kids piled out to head to the cafeteria, but Blossom stayed behind in her seat calmly until everyone else left, leaving her alone with Mr. Iridion. She floated up from her seat and moved up to him, putting her hands behind her back nervously.  
  
"Can I help you with something?" He asked her gently, smiling his calm, nice smile that had caught her attention earlier.  
  
"I uh... just wanted to say I liked how you handled my sister earlier... she can be hard to deal with..." Blossom said lamely, blushing at her own faltered attempts to be calm and casual.  
  
"Well thank you, it's my job." He joked as he sat down at his desk, bringing up his briefcase to take out a small brown lunch bag. She laughed at his joke for a few minutes before calming herself down and watching him take out his own lunch. "Anything else?"  
  
"Oh, uh nothing! Sorry..." She replied, realizing she'd just been staring at him rudely. "I was just... uh... about to go get lunch so... I might as well go... yeah... See you after... lunch I mean!" She fumbled to speak, but her words were halting and made relatively little sense. Finally she just turned to streak out of the room before she could embarrass herself even more. God what was wrong with her? She was normally the sensible one, why was she acting like a little airhead all of a sudden?  
  
She let out a soft sigh as she wandered into the cafeteria in search of her sisters. She found them waiting in the lunch line with the rest of the kids, though many were already a various tables eating their lunches. She floated over to join them in line.  
  
"Hey, where'd you go?" Bubbles asked her as she floated up to them. "We were wondering where you went when we realized you didn't come with us."  
  
"I just had something to take care of..." Blossom replied offhandedly.  
  
"Oh? Taking care of the new teacher then?" Buttercup asked with a sly smirk. Blossom glared back darkly, blushing. "Oh please it was so obvious it wasn't even funny."  
  
"It was not!" Blossom shot back before she realized she was only confirming what her sister was saying. "I mean... I don't know what you're talking about!" She corrected herself.  
  
"Yeah right. You have a crush on the teacher!" Buttercup teased, swinging her hips mockingly.  
  
"Shut up! I do not!" Blossom shouted, turning a brighter shade of red than the ribbon on her head. Before Buttercup could snap back they reached the front of the line. They got their food and floated over to a nearby table, sitting down to enjoy their meal.  
  
"What are these things?" Bubbles grabbed one of the long, crusty looking things off the plate. It looked almost completely black and was as stiff as a rock.  
  
"I think they're supposed to be fish sticks." Blossom said as she picked up one of her own. Experimentally she put the tip of it on the table so it was standing upright, then slammed her fist down on it, expecting the stick to crush. Instead it punched a hole right through the table, popping out the bottom unharmed. "Geeze..."  
  
Bubbles banged one of her sticks against the table for a minute, trying to break it. Then she got an idea and dumped the remaining Fish Sticks onto the table, turning her tray over. She grabbed another stick and started beating them on the bottom of the trey, playing it like a drum.  
  
Buttercup laughed just before she noticed the two Rowdyruff Boys making their way over to the table. "Oh hey." She said to them.  
  
"Hey." Brick replied, floating up to kiss her on the cheek before just setting his tray beside hers. "Watch this for a second okay? I've got to go do something."  
  
"Oh? What?" Buttercup asked.  
  
"Little boys room." He told her conspiratorially. She gave a small exclamation of understanding and nodded before he just walked off again. On the other side of the table Butch sat beside Blossom, examining his own Fish Sticks.  
  
"Hey Blossom, en-guard!" He exclaimed, floating up and holding out one stick in front of him like a dagger.  
  
"Touché!" Blossom exclaimed leaping up as well with her own stick. They quickly starting a fencing match above the table, each of them keeping one hand behind their back. Buttercup watched them for a moment, then looked down at Bubbles who had gone into a full on solo concert on her stick/tray/drums. She couldn't help but wonder what was keeping Brick, what he was doing...  
  
Should she see what he was doing? It might be something she wasn't supposed to see... but who would know? Everyone else was occupied... and she'd been practicing so she knew how to avoid being seen. Who would it hurt? Besides, he might be in trouble and need help... a bathroom monster or something. Yeah, she was watching his back, not his front...  
  
Where did THAT thought come from? She shook her head bemused as she closed her eyes, sending herself outward. Once she was separated she crept close to the floor, keeping tot he shadows wherever possible. With more practice she would be able to mimic people most likely, but for now with her inexperience she was limited to acting as Mange. It still was a lot though, and she was rarely caught.  
  
She made her way through the hallway, finding her way to the boys bathroom rather quickly. She hesitated for a moment before peeking through the door, seeing if anyone as in there. When she saw the coast was clear she went inside, taking a look around. It was pretty dirty compared to the girls bathroom, but then boys were generally dirty compared to girls, so it made some sense.  
  
When she heard a flush she quickly ducked into the shadows by the door, being hidden pretty much perfectly since her own spiritual body was pitch black. She watched with a perfect view as Brick emerged from one of the stalls to walk up to the sink. He turned on the faucet and let the water run over his hands, staring down at them a bit blankly.  
  
Curiously Mange crept a small ways from the shadows, ready to dart back into them at a moments notice if he began to turn toward her. She managed to get a clear view of his hands... a little bit of something seemed to be flaking off of his right hand, dropping down into the drain and being sucked down fairly quickly.  
  
She could only watch from a distance in bewilderment as he clenched his fist tightly and grabbed a tissue with his other hand to dry his hands off. What had fallen off of him, what did it mean? Her questions went unanswered when Brick calmly threw the towel away and put on a pair of gloves she hadn't even noticed he'd been wearing earlier. What was wrong with him? Why was he hiding it from her?  
  
Finally he turned to leave, startling her with the suddenness of his movements. She suddenly found herself sitting at the table again, staring back at the faces of Blossom, Bubbles and Butch who were staring at her curiously. She couldn't help but wonder how long they'd known she was out.  
  
"Back with us?" Blossom asked with a slight smirk. "We wouldn't have been using our newfound power now would we?"  
  
"So what if I was? I have to practice with it anyway right?" Buttercup replied acidly. No matter how she acted she was deeply concerned about what she'd seen in her little spying venture. Something was happening to Brick, why hadn't he told her what it was? It bothered her that he would keep secrets...  
  
"Sure, wouldn't be spying on someone would ya?" Blossom retorted. Buttercup was about to shoot back with a sharp comment but Brick returned just then, taking his seat beside her. A quick glance told her he did indeed still wear the gloves he'd put on in the bathroom.  
  
"Sorry about that." Brick told his girlfriend, smiling apologetically. "What's going on out here?"  
  
"Oh, just playing with our food, can't really eat it." Buttercup replied, trying to seem like everything was normal and fine.  
  
"Aw, so I see." Brick said as he grabbed a stick off his own plate, trying to break it in half. He succeeded only because of his super strength, but the thing still didn't look all that edible. "Come on, let's just go outside or something. This is pointless."  
  
"Smartest thing I've heard all day." Butch said instantly, pushing his own food back and floating off the bench. The others quickly followed suit and quickly the entire group was heading out to the playground to work off the food they didn't eat.  
  
"Brick can I talk to you alone?" Buttercup asked, grabbing his hand and halting him in mid-air. Everyone else turned to look back at her curiously.  
  
"Buttercup, can't you do that later? We're as school for crying out loud!" Butch laughed loudly. Blossom and Bubbles just stared at him disgustedly. Brick however met Buttercups gaze steadily, almost like he'd been expecting this.  
  
"Sure... We'll catch up later you guys." He told the others before Buttercup dragged him around to the side of the school where nobody else was currently playing. "So that was you I saw in the bathroom..." He commented softly.  
  
"I didn't mean to pry..." Buttercup said softly, but quickly regained herself. "Brick what's happening to you? I saw something fall off under the water... what was it?" She asked, growing more worried with every second it took him to respond.  
  
Instead of telling her he reached down to his glove, drawing it off and holding his hand up to the light so she could see it clearly. She gasped in shock when she saw several sections of flesh missing, revealing the pulsing veins and bones underneath. But no blood flowed to the wounds, no scabs were even beginning to form over them.  
  
"I... I don't understand... what's happening!?" Buttercup asked in alarm. She reached out one shaking hand to touch his, almost worried about breaking his hand at the slightest touch.  
  
"We went to a doctor when it first started... me and Butch did." Brick replied, lowering his gaze to the ground away from her. "Our creation was unstable... there was too little Chemical X to sustain us for very long... We're breaking down, and when it finally gives out..." He choked up, unable to say it.  
  
"You're... Going to die?" Buttercup asked, her voice shaking violently. She was suddenly more scared than she had been facing any monster, more than any of Mojo's plans had ever done to her.  
  
"But that won't be for a long while... and in the meantime this will keep happening... pretty soon we won't even be able to go out in daylight..." He said softly, lifting his cap slightly to reveal a similar wound decorating his forehead.  
  
"Brick..." Buttercup said softly in her shivering voice. She could barely make herself stand there facing him, her eyes were already brimming with tears of shock. Everything had been fine and all of a sudden this had to happen... "Can't we... Can't we find more Chemical X? Make you stable again?" She asked desperately as he pulled his hat back into place.  
  
"Sure, we can just drive down to the store and by a bottle." Brick replied acidly. He softened up immediately however when Buttercup nearly winced and looked down at the ground. "Look it'll be alright... You don't have to worry about it... I'm fine with it..." He said softly.  
  
"Well I'm not!" Buttercup snapped back. "How can you be so calm! You're going to die Brick! Do you know what that means!?" She demanded, the tears finally bursting from their holding place to run down her cheeks.  
  
"Of course I do... But there's nothing we can do. Chemical X isn't exactly an abundant chemical, as far as we know, only Professor Utonium knew how it was made..." He said softly.  
  
"Well then find someone who knows!" Buttercup howled angrily. "I swear Brick if you just up and die on me I am going to come after you and kick your ass!" She screamed.  
  
"Buttercup calm down." He told her, grabbing her and pulling her into a fierce hug. She hugged him back tightly, her face buried in his shoulder. "It'll be fine, we all have to go eventually right? I guess us Rowdyruff Boys just weren't meant to last very long from the beginning..." He said softly, running one hand gently through her jet-black hair.  
  
After a moment Buttercup pulled back, feeling something wrong. She reached down and un-tucked his shirt. He gave no resistance, so she quickly pulled his shirt up. Half of his stomach was already gone, as well as the majority of his chest revealing a big portion of his ribcage and a layer of pulsing muscle and nerves.  
  
"Oh my god..." Buttercup grunted, immediately dropping the shirt back into place and backing away. "Brick..." She said, her voice shaking worse than ever before. Weakly she fell to her knees, feeling like she was about to throw up.  
  
"Should have just left..." Brick muttered to himself as he watched her, his own eyes becoming wet with unshed tears. "I'm sorry, there's no reason for us to stay here any longer... Goodbye Buttercup." He said as he turned away from her. He streaked across the playground before she could say anything.  
  
She gave chase, but him and his brother streaked off into the city before she'd even reached their side of the playground. "Wait! Brick!" She shouted, not caring that her sisters were gawking at her with wide, surprised eyes. She didn't care if they thought she was going soft because she was crying, she just didn't want him to die.  
  
"Buttercup, what's going on here?" Blossom asked her sister worriedly. Buttercup didn't respond though, instead just sinking to her knees sadly just as the bell sounded that signified the end of recess.  
  
"Come on, we have to get back to class." Bubbles said cutely, putting one hand on Buttercups shoulder. She didn't move, didn't respond. So quickly he'd been there and then he'd just... gone. Why couldn't he have at least tried to find some Chemical X... Why couldn't he have just tried to do something... Why couldn't he have just stayed with her until the end... Why?... Why...  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
After school had ended Buttercup flew as fast as she could through the sky toward the forest in the center of town. She had to find Brick before he left; maybe he would still be at home. He had to be, he couldn't have just left without even a goodbye...  
  
When she reached the spot where the Rowdyruff Boys tree house was she found... nothing. She gasped when she saw that every branch; every twig had been undone and twisted back into place. There was no sign that anyone had ever lived there, and no sign that anyone still lived there.  
  
"Brick!" She shouted loudly, cupping her hands over her mouth. "Where are you!?" She yelled again, looking around her almost desperately for any sign of him. "Don't leave like this please! Not like this!" She cried, the tears coming to her eyes once again. "Brick..." She croaked out, her back humping over in defeat as the sobs began to wrack her.  
  
She could barely think, in under a day he'd been there, told her he was dying and left without another word. Why did he have to do this to her? It wasn't fair; this had to be some sick joke. It couldn't be real...  
  
She sank to the ground weakly as she was finally forced to face the fact that Brick was gone, left so she wouldn't have to see him fall apart in front of her... Still she couldn't accept it... She didn't want to. She couldn't say she'd wanted to spend her whole life with him, because she just didn't know that, but she hadn't wanted it to end so soon, not by any means.  
  
She sniffled and reached on one hand to wipe at her eyes as she looked around at the forest around her. It suddenly seemed to alien and strange. In the past few months it'd become like her second... no... third home. Now it was so empty... barren.  
  
Suddenly she noticed something hanging from one of the branches near the ground, waving lightly in the breeze. She floated over somewhat curiously to find Bricks red cap hung carefully from the branch so it wouldn't fall off. She grabbed it gently, holding it in both hands as she turned it around, examining it.  
  
On the inside something was written in black marker across the bill of the cap. "To Buttercup Utonium... from Brick Utonium" She nearly burst into tears again at this, a slight smile crossing her face. They'd often joked about that, if she was their mother technically then what was their last name... She liked to know that he still remembered...  
  
Slowly and with two shaking hands she placed the cap on her head. It fit nearly perfectly, almost like it'd been made especially for her. She still didn't accept that he'd gone, though she did know why... At least they'd had fun while he was here... and she guessed that would have to be enough. Maybe he'd been right when he said Rowdyruff's just weren't meant to stay forever... no matter how much she might wish that they could...  
  
THE END 


	11. 110- Forever

110- Forever

Buttercup sat on the small chair beside the window, silently staring out into the cool night air as her sisters prepared for bed behind her. She still couldn't believe it, Brick was gone... but what crushed her most was that she had no idea where he was, what he was doing, or even if he was still able to do anything... She loved him, more than anything else she could think of... and if he died because she hadn't thought things through in creating them... She would never forgive herself...

"Brick..." She whispered to the night sky outside, looking up at it with tear streaked eyes. This was totally unlike her, she was the tough puff... but right now she didn't care. She just wanted to see him come back to her again, fine as ever, safe and sound. "Please come back... Please..." She whispered, closing her eyes and lowering her head until she felt the rim of the red cap she always wore these days clink against the glass "Come back to me..." She whispered. Outside in the night sky a star seemed to glimmer brightly, almost like it was answering her.

She sat at her computer calmly, tapping away at the keyboard as she tried to figure out the final component of this strange DNA strand that had fallen into her possession. It was like nothing she'd ever seen before, mutating and constantly absorbing energy to grant extraordinary properties to anything that absorbed it. In fact it looked almost familiar to her... but from where?

She looked over at the phone, a tad startled as it began to ring loudly, echoing throughout her small office. She lived in Citiesville working as a scientist for a major lab. Currently she was trying to figure out where this DNA sample had come from, but it seemed like she should already know for some reason... Though she didn't know why for the life of her.

She took a moment to calm her nerves before grabbing the receiver and putting it to her ear. "Patrisha Tuyoma's office, can I help you?" She said with the practiced coolness of someone long used to this line of work.

"Patrisha, I need your help." A mans voice said on the other line, sounding desperate and distraught. She almost recognized the voice as someone she knew from well over a year ago. In her line of work she was always jumping from one idea to the next, one partner to the next, so she rarely got to know anyone too personally.

"Who is this?" She asked calmly.

"You've got to help them please! I can't bear to watch them hurt anymore!" The voice sounded almost panicked at something only he knew about. This was getting stranger by the moment. She got lots of weird calls on occasion, but for some reason this one triggered an alarm in her mind. He was being serious.

"What seems to be the problem?" She asked, her own voice wavering a bit at the urgency she could hear ringing clearly in his.

"Patrisha..." The voice came back, but the static in the phone began to drown him out as he spoke. "The... boys... recover... procedure... help..." Finally the line went blank and she was once again left listening tot he steady rhythm of the dial tone.

She stared at the receiver for a long while. She'd recognized the voice... but she couldn't place it. Whatever it was it sent a shiver down her spine thinking about it. Help who... with what procedure... a lot of things didn't make sense... What was going on?

Finally with a shaky hand she placed the receiver back on the hook, shaking her head as she turned back to the computer screen on her desk. She was sure there was a perfectly logical explanation for it, as there always was. Just because she didn't have all the facts didn't mean they weren't there, so it was useless worrying about it. The caller would reveal themselves in time and explain everything, until then she would continue like nothing happened.

Brick looked at himself in the mirror, his entire body wracked with pain and stress even as it fell apart around him. His entire skin layer was just about gone, leaving him as little more than merely a lump of muscle and nerves, bones and organs... He couldn't even go outside anymore without covering himself up completely, he even had a mask he wore over most of his face so he wouldn't scare anyone...

He knew the only way to fix him was to find more Chemical X, but the substance proved to be very elusive. Few in the scientific community had ever even heard of the stuff, let alone had ever seen any. And none had ever possessed any. He couldn't help but wonder just how Professor Utonium had ever gotten his hands on it, but would likely never know.

One odd phenomenon him and Butch had discovered was that the black haired Rowdyruff wasn't falling apart as quickly as Brick was. They'd puzzled this out for a long while until they finally decided that since Butch never moved his legs, he didn't use as much energy, so consumed the chemical at a slower rate.

It didn't change anything though, they were both doomed no matter how quickly it happened if they didn't find the chemical, and that seemed more than unlikely at this point, it seemed damn near impossible.

Angrily he thrust one arm forward, shattering the mirror with one well-placed blow. There had to be some way, someone out there had to have more Chemical X. The Professor could not have been the only one on the planet with the knowledge of how to make it... there had to be someone...

But where? They'd made their way to Citiesville in the hopes of finding someone who knew something, but they'd found nothing helpful. In fact they got several distrusting glares just from walking down the street, it was quickly becoming clear even if someone in Citiesville knew something, they might not want to help them.

He growled darkly and turned away from the shattered mirror, making his way into the bedroom. They'd managed to barter with a hotel owner into letting them stay for free in exchange for helping him accomplish some errands quicker than he ever could on his own. If he found out about the mirror though the boys would be in trouble, he'd just have to find some way to avoid that then.

Wearily he set about bundling himself up to head out into the night to search for more answers. Butch had already left, being better able to pass himself off as normal for the time being. He then left through the door, not really wanting to draw undo attention to himself by simply floating out the window right now.

When he got outside he turned to walk along the sidewalk. Keeping his head carefully down. He was wearing his normal clothing with a thick trench coat covering the majority of his body. His hands were covered with a pair of dark crimson gloves, but were presently stuffed into the pockets of his coat. His mouth up to his eyes was covered with a thick scarf so he wouldn't freak anybody out. His hair served well enough to cover his head for now since he'd left his cap back in the forest...

He went inside a small bar he'd taken to visiting on occasion. He never drank anything but instead he just hung around. Some people had loose lips when they were drunk, and might give up more information babbling than they would when asked. It was an off chance of finding anything useful, but with no leads a miracle was the only thing he could hope for.

He walked in through the door and immediately took up his normal seat near the door, looking up at the small TV by the corner idly as he waited for something to happen. Several guests eyed him with surprise, not expecting to see someone so young in there and wondering why nobody was stopping him. The bartender and guards had learned not to mess with him pretty quickly on the first night, and hadn't messed with him since.

He grabbed his water as the bartender silently handed it to him. He took a few sips, trying to listen for anything behind him as a news report came on the TV in front of him.

"And in other news the explosion that rocked the neighboring city of Townsville roughly five months ago is still under investigation as the police still try to piece together just what caused the death of one of our centuries brightest minds." The news reporter reported calmly, reading from the papers on her desk. "We now take you to the scene of the horrible accident to discover just what progress has been made."

Brick looked up at the TV curiously as the picture changed to that of the still ruined Utonium household. A stocky looking police officer stood in front of it, looking at the camera. "It's been believed since the accident that it was a volatile combination of chemicals that caused the explosion which rocked this small city to its very foundation. However, earlier today they found evidence that there was an explosive device planted in the basement."

"Explosive?" Brick said curiously. He hadn't been there when the accident had occurred, but Buttercup had told him everything that had happened. Someone planted an explosive... Him wasn't an electrician; he must have acted through someone else... but who?

As he mused the screen switched back to the reporter. "Police say they suspect this might have ties with TekTron, one of Citiesville's largest technology manufacturers and a former employer of the deceased. Professor Jonathan Utonium was 37 when he was killed in the tragic blast."

TekTron... One of professor Utoniums former employers. Probably from about the time he'd created the Powerpuff Girls... At last he was getting somewhere. He should pay this technology corporation a visit... but considering the welcomes they'd been getting so far they wouldn't talk willingly. Well that didn't matter; he was a Rowdyruff Boy with everything to lose, and only one chance to keep it all. He wouldn't give up; he would have answers.

Butch floated up the steps to the hotel room he and Brick shared slowly, once again returning empty handed. He wasn't as far along as Butch, most of his face was still intact though the rest of him wasn't all that much better. His legs still dangled from his body limply beneath him, swaying slightly as he moved.

He opened the door to their bedroom and floated inside. He was a bit startled to find Brick already sitting on the bed waiting for him, one leg crossed over the other with a triumphant look on his face. "You found something?" Butch asked.

"We're going tonight, we finally have a lead." Brick replied, showing once again why he was the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys.

"Where?" Butch asked, getting an eager grin on his face. He could tell from his brothers expression that it wasn't just going to be a get-together.

"TekTron." Brick replied, floating up from the bed. "And we go right now." He said, grinning just as eagerly. Finally they could stop hunting for information and take a more active role in their destinies. And to Butch, it was about damn time.

The main entrance to the TekTron office building was well guarded since they had such powerful and expensive equipment housed there. Brick and Butch floated through the double doors without hesitation. They were both wearing dark trench coats and sunglasses. Brick floated over to the metal detector and put a medium sized duffel bag in it as the boys floated through the metal detector. The alarm sounded, putting several guards on alert.

"Please hand me any metallic items." The guard asked them with one hand already on his gun. He was obviously trying not to react to the fact that both boys were floating in mid-air right in front of him. The Rowdyruff Boys simply looked over at each other curiously before they both thrust one hand forward, knocking that guard out cold within a moment.

The rest of the guards stood immediately reaching for their weapons, but the boys reached them before they could even take aim. A few well-placed punches and kicks wiped them out completely, leaving them all unconscious against the wall. Calmly they walked over to the bag and took out a pair of dodgeballs, each taking one as they started floating down the hall to the elevator.

They both hesitated when the elevator doors opened and a flood of guards filled the room, each with a rifle aimed straight at them. "Freeze!" One of the guards shouted forcefully.

They looked at each other for only a moment before each darted to their side of the hall. The bullets flew past them as they streaked toward the guards, each throwing their dodgeballs into the air and slamming them as hard as they could. Each slammed into a different guard with the force only a superhero could muster, rebounding and flying back to their throwers.

Butch floated higher off the ground, doing a vertical spin in the air to avoid the gunfire as he threw the dodgeball. It rebounded among several guards, knocking them all unconscious before returning to him with near perfect trajectory.

Brick paused in alarm as he spotted Butch, moving along the other wall, one guard getting an easy bead on him. "Butch!" He screamed in warning before throwing himself toward the guard. He flew the length of the room with his arms up at his sides, one leg up and ready for a kick while the other remained below him bent upward. Finally he reached the guard, kicking him with enough forced to send him flying up against the wall with a loud thud.

The two Rowdyruff Boys moved to the center of the room, examining the surroundings. All of the guards were unconscious on the ground and the gunfire had torn apart several of the walls and pillars lining the place. Calmly they dropped their dodgeballs and floated over to the elevator, floating inside and pushing the button to go up without a second thought to the destruction they'd just caused.

After a few minutes they reached the top floor where they floated off the elevator, looking around for anyone they could see, someone important. They pretty much randomly picked one of the many offices on this floor and went inside, finding a woman sitting behind a desk tapping at the computer expertly.

"We need to speak with the head of this place." Brick announced, not waiting for her to ask them who they were.

"Can I help you with something?" The woman asked irritably before she even looked up from her monitor. She gasped in shock when she saw both boys floating above the floor, watching her with steady eyes. "Who are you?"

"I'm Brick, this is Butch. We're the Rowdyruff Boys." Brick told her, not really wanting to add that there was a third out there somewhere. "We need to see your boss about Chemical X." He said.

"Chemical X?" She asked in surprise. "What do you need that for?"

"You know something about it?" Butch demanded quickly, not wanting to give up this opening to learn something.

"Yes... I... I worked with Professor Utonium on its development." She said, studying the two boys wearily. Both boys gaped in surprise at this. "Now I'll ask again, what do you need Chemical X for?" She demanded.

Brick studied her for a few moments, then reached down to unbutton his trench coat. He grunted painfully as he pulled it off, Butch helping him out. He then grabbed the hem of his shirt, pulling it up to reveal the bare muscle and tissue underneath. The woman gasped in true shock at the site, backing away from him almost reflexively.

"How about we tell you our story, and you tell us what you know about Professor Utonium and Chemical X." Brick bargained, letting his shirt fall back into place.

"Jonathan? Well... Sure." The woman replied.

"We were created by combining Chemical X with several other agents that marked who we are... but there wasn't enough of the chemical and now we're falling apart at the seams... We need more just to survive." Brick told her steadily. "Now it's your turn."

"I'm Professor Tuyoma with TekTron Inc... About two years ago Professor Utonium and I began our research on the properties of different chemicals in different situations. During our research, we stumbled upon a combination that would act as a toughening agent. It would, in essence, grant anything it touched some very special properties." She began.

"Like flight, and super strength." Butch commented knowingly.

"No... It actually just granted a tougher skin layer, allowing things to survive where they normally could not... It wasn't in our field, but Jonathan insisted on trying to find ways to improve the formula. I never knew why he wanted to, or what he did exactly, but eventually he announced that he'd created a new chemical that granted a person the powers you described, but could also grant life from household ingredients."

"Our superiors weren't happy with this, and neither were most human rights organizations. They considered this breakthrough an abomination of nature that should be buried. So he moved to Townsville to conduct some sort of experiment... That was the last I heard of him." Professor Tuyoma told them seriously. "I never dreamed he'd actually succeeded in creating little boys with his chemical..."

"It's a long story, but right now we just need more Chemical X and we can be out of your hair." Butch told her.

"Alas, I don't know what he added to make it so potent... We rarely exchanged research, the last bit he let sift through to me was a procedure that could reverse the effects of the chemical." She told them.

"That's no good, that'd kill us!" Brick exclaimed. "We need to strengthen it, not weaken it!" He yelled, sounding a bit weaker than he had just a few moments before.

"Please, we need something! Isn't there some way to save us? Come on there has to be something!" Butch screamed, slamming his fist into the center of her computer desk. It ripped right in half easily, sending everything flying across the floor randomly. The phone fell off the hook as well, the steady dial tone the only sound that echoed through the room as the boys stared at her, almost begging for help.

Something snapped in Professor Tuyoma's mind as she listened to the dial tone. It reminded her of something... "The procedure..." She said softly, suddenly realizing something.

"What?" Butch asked, sounding somewhat hopeful.

"Part of his research was to find a way to expunge Chemical X... I thought it meant to reverse its effects but... maybe it..." She began, getting a bit built up with herself. "Maybe it just removes the effects... Maybe it would just replace the Chemical X with something more stable!"

"Replace it?" Butch exclaimed. "Wouldn't we be powerless?"

"But we'd be alive..." Brick told him, holding his chest and grimacing with pain. "We have to do it..."

"But..." Professor Tuyoma interrupted, suddenly kind of down. "The procedure itself costs a fortune just to do it once, there's no way we could help you." She told them apologetically.

"Money? We're going to die here lady! Don't you care?" Butch demanded angrily.

"I would do it for free, but to waste such resources... I would be fired, or possibly even sent to prison." She told them softly.

"Thanks anyway... We tried... Hurgh!" Brick howled in pain as he fell to his knees, causing both Butch and the professor to run up to him in alarm.

"Dude, what is it?" Butch asked quickly. Brick slowly moved his arm. A small gap was forming in one of his lungs, once it punched all the way through and got big enough, he would be dead on the spot. "No... We're so close you can't go now!" Butch ordered him frantically.

"Take me back... to Townsville..." Brick said softly, giving the professor one more sharp glance. "I shouldn't have left her..." He grunted with pain.

"Her? Her who?" The adult asked them.

"Buttercup Utonium... Your precious Jonathan's unofficial daughter." Butch told her venomously. "Goodbye Professor." He spat out that last word like a curse before he streaked through the window of the office, no longer caring about subtlety as he headed back toward home.

Patrisha watched them go with some measure of surprise. Professor Utoniums unofficial daughter? One of them must be her boyfriend or something from the way they talked... So... "You've got to help them please! I can't bear to watch them hurt anymore!"

"Jonathan?" She exclaimed in realization, looking up at the gloomy night sky. The stars twinkled dully this night, but one twinkled brighter than any other, almost beckoning. It wasn't possible... It couldn't be true... Yet as she looked out into the night she felt it was, what was she doing turning them away... She had to find them... they said they were going to Townsville, so she'd have to go to Townsville. She just hoped she wasn't too late.

Buttercup looked up at the dark night sky like she always did, keeping a silent vigil for any sign that the boy she loved would return. By now she didn't care about being tough, or keeping up appearances, she just wanted him back with her safe and sound. This was driving her insane not knowing, she just wished she had any idea if he was even alive or...

"Buttercup come to bed..." Blossom beckoned her sister gently, trying to pull her away from the window. Buttercup didn't move an inch, just staring up at the night sky searchingly. "Please stop this... I know you miss him but you're worrying Bubbles and Miss Keane... He's not coming back Buttercup!" Blossom tried everything she could think of to get her away from the window.

"He will... He has to." Buttercup replied softly, cocking her head as she saw something coming toward them. "There... there he is!" She jumped up excitedly, startling her sister as she threw the window open.

Both Powerpuff Girls drew back as Butch floated through the window, carrying a very ragged looking Brick in his arms. His face was a shell of its former self, and the rest of his body was gruesome. He clutched his chest painfully even as he looked over at Buttercup from Butch's arms. She didn't know what to say, what to do...

"There you are... I had to see you..." He told her softly, holding out one fleshless hand toward her desperately. She hesitated only a moment before she took it. It felt slimy and kind of misshapen, but it was still Brick, so she didn't care.

"You'll be fine... We'll fix you!" Buttercup told him firmly.

"No... You won't... Nobody will." Brick replied, groaning in pain and clutching his chest again for a moment. "It's over... I'm gone..." He told her softly.

"No! I won't let you be..." She put one hand up against his skinless cheek, feeling the firm bone underneath her palm sickened her, but still she didn't allow herself to freak out, she wouldn't go nuts over this. "You'll live... you'll see..." She whispered to him reassuringly.

"You know... what... I've always wanted..." Brick asked her.

"No... What?" Buttercup asked, almost dreading the answer.

"To... hear you sing..." He gasped out, forcing the breath through his tattered and torn lungs.

Buttercup smiled a bit sadly and ironically down at him, stroking his cheek gently. She gulped a bit and opened her mouth, taking a deep breath and trying to think of a good song. She wasn't that good a singer, but she'd try.

"There's no time for us... There's no place for us... what is this thing that fills our dreams..." she choked up a bit as she sang, but forced herself to continue. "Who wants... to live... forever. Who wants to live forever?" She slowed down as she saw him going more limp in Butch's arms. Her heart stopped for an instant before they all heard a car horn outside.

"Brick! Butch! Come on! We have to hurry!" A womans voice called.

"It's too late..." Blossom said fearfully.

"No he's asleep... using less energy!" Butch exclaimed. "Keep singing while we move him Buttercup!" Butch ordered her as he floated out the window down to the car. Buttercup obliged him as the car roared along the streets toward their destination.

"There's no chance for us... It's all been decided for us. This world has only one sweet moment set aside for us... Who wants... to live... forever? Who wants to live forever? Who dares to love forever? When love must die..." She trailed off a bit as they continued along the seemingly endless road to the lab.

After what felt like an eternity they finally reached the lab where the equipment was set up.

"Butch, you bring Brick and follow me! The rest of you wait in the lobby!" Professor Tuyoma ordered as she led the two Rowdyruff Boys into the back rooms.

"But..." Buttercup began, but Bubbles and Blossom grabbed her shoulders, holding her there.

"They'll be fine, I know it." Blossom told her confidently, once again proving why she was the leader of the Powerpuff Girls. Buttercup just lowered her eyes to the floor worriedly, trying to settle down for what would undoubtedly be an infinitely long wait.

Seconds passed like hours, minutes like weeks, and hours like years as the Powerpuff Girls still waited for the Rowdyruff Boys to emerge from the back. Buttercup could barely make herself stay in this room, and sitting in a chair would have been sheer torture for her. As it was she simply paced around the room frantically, her hands gripped behind her back tightly.

Finally after the torturous wait Professor Tuyoma emerged from the back wearing a white lab coat. "The... Rowdyruff Boys... Are gone." She told them gently. Buttercup snapped right there, collapsing to her knees in a sea of pained sobs as she buried her face in her hands. This couldn't be happening... They were supposed to be okay, they couldn't...

"I touch my tears... With your lips..." She looked up slowly when she heard a gentle voice singing right in front of her. She gasped as Brick leaned down to kiss one of the tears on her cheek away. "Touch my world... With your fingertips..." He said softly as he ran one hand along her cheek gently.

"But... she said..." Buttercup said, still in absolute shock.

"The Rowdyruff Boys are gone... but we're still here." Brick told her gently. She suddenly grabbed him and pulled him into a furious hug, burying her face in his shoulder.

"We lost our powers, but we're alive." Butch told them, smirking from his position by the door to the lab.

"Butch! Your legs!" Blossom exclaimed in surprise.

"Yep, pretty sweet eh? Guess as long as the professor here was messing around with my genes she decided to hook them back up again." Butch told the still shaken Powerpuff Girls.

"I'm glad for you." Blossom told him, smiling at him kindly. Bubbles finally snapped under all the pressure and began to wail like a siren. Blossom grabbed her and hugged her gently, trying to calm her down.

"Buttercup... this isn't like you at all." Brick told her gently as he hugged her back, wrapping his arms snugly around her small, lithe body. "Now where's the tough little girl I know and love?"

"I..." Buttercup sputtered, just holding onto him. "I was scared... Can you believe that?" She said with her shaking voice. "I was scared you... You..."

"I'm not... and I'm right here." He told her reassuringly. "Where I'm staying..."

"Good..." Buttercup replied, burying her face in his shoulder again.

"Now, I believe if everything is done here, we have a few things to discuss." Professor Tuyoma told Blossom as she walked up to her. Blossom was obviously the leader, since she was the only Powerpuff Girl who wasn't currently an emotional wreck.

"Alright, I guess maybe we should... Let's get back to the house first though." Blossom said, looking around at everyone. "Is that okay with everybody?" She asked them all. She got no complaints from anybody, so it was all set.

"We have to go now Buttercup..." Brick said softly, looking down at the girl leaning against his chest. He got no response though. "Buttercup?" He asked curiously, maneuvering slightly so he could see her face. She was asleep against him, tired from the sleepless nights and the strain of waiting to see if he would be okay. He smiled slightly and gently lifted her into his arms, carrying her out to the professor's car. He couldn't fly anymore, and he didn't have superpowers, but it didn't matter, he'd still be here for her nonetheless.

THE END ("Who Wants To Live Forever?" lyrics by Queen) 


End file.
